Key points
- A close associate of Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Salazar has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment.
- The Socialist Party has launched an investigation, although there have been no formal complaints. The Spanish prime minister has called on women to report sexual abuse through the party's official channels.
- The scandal is a fresh blow to the party after recent corruption scandals, with the opposition accusing Sanchez of running a “mafia” government.
Sanchez's associate accused of sexual harassment / Photo AP
An ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment, a fresh blow to the Spanish prime minister's Socialist Party, just weeks after a series of corruption scandals.
This was reported by Channel 24, citing Politico.
What is known about the scandal with the Spanish Prime Minister's associate
Francisco Salazar, a close associate of Sanchez, resigned from his post as deputy in the secretariat of the Spanish Socialist Party and asked for an investigation into the allegations made against him.
The allegations were made on the left-wing Spanish news site elDiario.es, which claimed Salazar made inappropriate comments about a female subordinate's clothing and body, invited her to dinner alone and asked her to spend the night at his home.
The Socialist Party said it would immediately launch an investigation, but noted that no formal complaints had been made about the matter.
The latest incident comes as a fresh blow to Sanchez, who was scheduled to speak at the party's headquarters in Madrid when the news broke. Reuters reported that Sanchez spoke an hour later than planned and called on any woman who had suffered sexual violence to report it through the party's official channels. He did not directly mention Salazar.
A month earlier, Pedro Sánchez publicly apologized for recent corruption scandals within the party, particularly involving senior party officials. The Spanish prime minister, who leads a minority coalition government, has been repeatedly criticized for the scandals.
The main opposition party, the centre-right People's Party, has accused Sanchez of being a “capo” who runs a “mafia” government. Notably, protests in Madrid organised by the People's Party last month attracted tens of thousands of participants.
Even within Spain's Socialist Party, politicians have called on Sanchez to call early national elections, even though they know their party is virtually guaranteed to lose.
