The conviction of David Sánchez to nine years of disqualification for abuse of power has triggered a unified reaction within the PSOE that goes beyond routine defence: Socialist leaders argue that judicial proceedings against the president's family could become a double-edged sword that turns against the political and judicial right.

The Ferraz analysis: zero electoral damage

Top-level officials at La Moncloa and the Socialist executive share a common diagnosis: while corruption cases against figures like José Luis Ábalos —sentenced to 24 years— did generate negative electoral impact for the party, sentences against the president's relatives are being perceived in a completely different way by progressive voters.

"In the sentence against David Sánchez there is personal damage to the president, but electoral damage is zero," say sources close to the Presidency of the Government, according to elpais.com. The analysis extends to the situation of Begoña Gómez, the president's wife, whose freedom of movement was limited by judge Juan Carlos Peinado with arguments that Socialists consider disproportionate.

Indignation as political fuel

What has most stirred anger among Socialist grassroots and party activists is the perception of a systemic pattern. PSOE territorial leaders agree that progressive voters are clearly distinguishing between genuine corruption scandals and what they see as judicial decisions against the presidential circle.

"The political and judicial right is achieving the opposite effect: it is getting through to our electorate that what is happening is not coincidental," explains an official from Ferraz's machinery. "With each judicial decision against the president's family, the grassroots and voters grow more indignant. They are more proactive. This scenario was not happening a few months ago."

The withdrawal of Begoña Gómez's passport and the subsequent handing over of her airline tickets for her trip to London for her daughter's graduation have served as a catalyst to amplify this sentiment among Socialist voters.

A coordinated response with different styles

The conviction of David Sánchez has generated a coordinated but nuanced Socialist reaction. Transport Minister Óscar Puente was the first to speak out, denouncing that the "only purpose" of the sentence was to "bring down a Government in the face of the inability to do so at the ballot box."

However, from Ferraz they also praised the approach of Extremadura's general secretary, Álvaro Sánchez Cotrina, who made a statement barely two hours after the ruling to "face the music" without questioning judicial independence. "As a democrat and defender of the Rule of Law, I have trusted in the independence of justice and our absolute respect for judicial sentences," was his message.

Both strategies—frontal criticism and institutional defence of the Rule of Law—have been valued in private by PSOE territorial leaders as "complementary," according to sources from La Moncloa. "The message being sent is the same but on a different wavelength."

A context of multiple judicial proceedings

This reaction comes at a time when the PSOE is dealing with a series of judicial proceedings against leaders of different ranks: from Ábalos and Santos Cerdán to technicians from various administrations. It is the third consecutive year that Socialists are ending the political year under judicial pressure.

The implicit question floating over the Socialist strategy is whether this capacity to convert judicial indignation into political energy will be enough to keep the party united ahead of the next electoral commitments.