Spain's PM Sánchez will not call early elections: 'It is an honour to govern even in these circumstances'

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The head of the central government sticks to the social agenda and takes pride in having acted with 'decisiveness' against sexism and the corruption cases within his party (PSOE)

Álvaro Soto

Madrid

Monday, 15 December 2025, 19:51

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has ruled out calling early elections, insisting it is "an honour to govern, even under these circumstances", as he addressed supporters in Cáceres ahead of Sunday's regional vote in Extremadura. Speaking at a rally marked by his party's (Socialist PSOE) recent scandals over corruption and sexual harassment, Sánchez defended his government's social agenda and voiced support for PSOE candidate in Extremadura Miguel Ángel Gallardo, whose campaign faces a daunting challenge according to the polls.

It was possibly one of the most complicated rallies of Sánchez's political career: with corruption and cases of gender-based violence rampant in the PSOE. However, he stoked fear against the right and the far-right and recalled the founder of the PSOE, Pablo Iglesias, saying that the Socialists have never had it easy in their history.

The main takeaway from the rally was that Sánchez will remain head of the government, with no eary elections planned. "When I get asked whether I am tired, I say that this government is tireless. To govern means facing up to problems and providing solutions," he said.

The audience in Cáceres chanted "presidente, presidente!" Sánchez told them that "it is an honour to govern, even in these circumstances". He took pride in the growth in pensions and the minimum wage, both of which have happened during the PSOE's time heading the government. He also defended the party's role in protecting the rights of women in the face of gender-based violence. "Of course, having a progressive government pays off," he said.

Given these achievements, Sánchez does not believe that there is need for an early election despite the latest revelations about corruption and sexual harassment within his party. He mocked the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, for demanding elections, having already done it twice - in 2019 and in 2023, always without results. Sánchez firmly stated that the elections will be held when they are due - in a year and a half.

However, Sánchez could not avoid addressing the two main issues within PSOE. On the topic of sexual harrassment, he said that PSOE was the first party to proclaim itself feminist and the first to implement an anti-harassment protocol. "We have made mistakes, like everyone else," he acknowledged, adding that they have acted with "decisiveness and transparency" against the cases of harassment that have surfaced in recent months.

He also took pride in acting against corruption within his own party, which he described as a "betrayal of the principles of the PSOE". "But the difference with the PP is that we have extirpated the cases while, on the right, there is collusion with them. Or has Feijóo forgotten that he is head of the PP because his predecessor, Casado, denounced the cases of corruption linked to Ayuso? What lessons are they going to give us?" Sánchez said.

The prime minister did not mention José Luis Ábalos, Santos Cerdán, Koldo García, Leire Díez, his former adviser at La Moncloa, Paco Salazar, or any of the protagonists of the latest corruption or sexual harrassment scandals linked to PSOE, but he did speak up against president of Conferencia Episcopal Luis Javier Argüello who, in an interview in La Vanguardia, suggested that the central government has only three options: "a motion of confidence, a motion of censure or to call elections". "I say to Argüello that there is a fourth option: that he should respect the election result, even if he doesn't like it. Or he can stand for election with the far-right Abogados Cristianos organisation and see what result he gets. The time when bishops interfered in politics ended when democracy began," he said.

Support for Gallardo

Sánchez gave his support to Miguel Ángel Gallardo. He asked the people of Extremadura to support Gallardo "because the future is not written and every vote counts". The Socialist candidate is being prosecuted for crimes of prevarication and influence peddling in relation to the hiring of David Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, brother of the prime minister, for a post in the provincial authority of Badajoz when Gallardo was the head of this institution.

"In our party, there is no room for those who say they are comrades, but who are whoremongers, who are abusers," Gallardo said. He expressed his belief that on 21 December "the right is going to be surprised". "Extremadura has never fared well with the right. Neither in democracy nor in dictatorship. The policies that really boosted this land were made by the Socialist governments," he pointed out.