Restore trust

The RAE defines "trust" as the firm hope one has in someone or something, and also as the confidence one has in oneself. "Trust" is the concept in response to the enormous disappointment within and outside the government over the sulfuric acid crisis, as Enric Juliana calls the current political crater. That trust is now broken. And trust, as you know, is fragile; it is quickly lost and takes time to restore.

Crises have three phases: alert, response, and reconstruction. The current situation remains one of maximum alert for the Executive due to the sulfuric acid crisis and for democracy due to the authoritarianism that is coming. Moving to the next phase, restoring trust, requires a determined, constant, and consistent effort from all political actors and institutions in the response. Both the Government and its partners must ask themselves a single question: how do we best strengthen democracy in Spain? And there is only one method: full accountability. In our democracy, trust is enshrined in Article 112 of the Constitution through a mechanism: the "question of trust," an indisputable instrument for optimal accountability to all citizens. If a president loses it, he resigns.

There are sectors in Spain that expect this situation to further deteriorate the democratic system.

This presidency was born in Congress through Article 113 of the Constitution, which regulates votes of censure, and must return to Congress for the same reasons as the motion. That vote of confidence has been lost today. But all actors still have the political capacity to restore it, acting, of course, on all fronts: first, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez , must request the vote of confidence to continue as prime minister from the PSOE federal committee on July 5; second, he must then present a vote of confidence to the Congress of Deputies, following deliberation by the Council of Ministers, which will be tough; and third, if he wins—as happened to Adolfo Suárez in 1980 and Felipe González in 1990—he must give the floor to the Spanish people in upcoming elections, after presenting and debating the General State Budget (GSE). Not immediately, because Spain needs a budget. What happens with the General State Budget, however, will determine when the elections will be held in 2026. The important thing now is to strengthen democracy.

When people feel heard and valued, trust in democratic institutions is strengthened. To restore trust, there must be participation. This is how the third phase begins: reconstruction. Members, representatives, and citizens, therefore. Everyone has a decision to make. And whatever all actors legitimately decide will always be a manifestation of full democracy and a success that will strengthen our democracy. Whether their decision is the continuation of the Prime Minister or a change of government.

There are sectors in Spain that are expecting further deterioration of our democratic system with this situation. The latest CIS (Central American Citizens' Information System), published outdated because it failed to reflect the effects of this sulfuric acid, told us that the left had already sent almost a million voters to abstention. Meanwhile, Alberto Núñez Feijóo can legitimately present a motion of censure. He knows, however, that this Congress will not make him president, and it is legitimate for him not to do so. The president, however, must take the initiative, giving a fully democratic response and knowing that in life as in politics, it is mutual trust, more than mutual interest, that keeps human groups together.

Spain elects free politicians, and the Spanish people understand these moments. Congress, too: either trust is restored or, for example, what remains of the two-party system is restored, with that air of national consensus. Trust in institutions is rebuilt precisely when someone is vulnerable, as is the case with the president, and one doesn't take advantage of it. Take note these days of those who do otherwise. They will be making a grave political mistake.

When I was a child, I was told that old wood is the best for burning; old wine, the best for drinking; old authors, the best for reading; and old friends, the best for trusting. Restoring trust is not so much about having all the answers as about being open to all the questions.

Next week From militancy to the Spanish

A first step toward restoring confidence is for President Sánchez to appear at today's press conference after the federal executive committee meeting to demonstrate conviction, security, certainty, firmness, and loyalty to the membership, as well as transparency toward all Spaniards. The PSOE's greatest asset is its membership, truly magical. It resists time, distance, and silence. I explained this in this very column entitled "Days of Ferrari Red" a few years ago. The second step he must take is to meet imminently with all his parliamentary partners.

The Hawkeye The authoritarian right

The two-party system does not foster coexistence, nor is it the electoral framework for younger generations. If trust is not restored, the authoritarian right will have a clear path to pursue its plan in the spring of 2026, with lawsuits like the Kitchen case affecting its preferred partner, the People's Party (PP), and in 2027, with Le Pen's victory in the first round of the French presidential elections, in the municipal and regional elections. Vox is already polling at 15%, more than 50 seats, in all recent polls. With SALF in place, it would be close to the figures of Podemos.