The head of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez continues to suffer the fallout of his alignment with the Moroccan position regarding the conflict in Western Sahara.
Pedro Sanchez is due to appear this Wednesday, April 19 before the Congress of Spanish Deputies where he should answer for his decisions on Morocco and Western Sahara.
Pedro Sanchez is eagerly awaited by the deputies of the right-wing opposition but is also part of the left-wing coalition which forms his government.
Beyond the pressure of parliamentarians, Pedro Sanchez is criticized even within his government.
Indeed, the second vice-president of the executive Yolanda Diaz made very harsh remarks about the decisions taken by Pedro Sanchez on Western Sahara.
Yolanda Diaz said in an interview with La Sexta on Sunday that she would not hesitate to question Sanchez’s new position on Western Sahara.
On March 18, 2022, the announcement of the Spanish reversal on Western Sahara was made in a press release from the Moroccan royal cabinet.
An unprecedented crisis ensued between Spain and Algeria. In protest against the Spanish government’s decision, Algiers recalled its ambassador to Madrid on Saturday, March 19 before freezing the friendship treaty and trade with Spain in June of the same year.
Morocco – Spain: Pedro Sanchez decried within his own staff
To date, the losses of Spanish companies amount to more than 800 million euros following the Algerian blockade according to the Spanish press.
Faced with this observation of crisis, Yolanda Diaz affirmed that she would return to a balanced position on the question of Western Sahara. “I would return to Spain’s original position on Western Sahara,” she said.
Yolanda Diaz, who is also Minister of Labor and Social Economy, did not mince her words when referring to Morocco, which she described as a “dictatorship”.
Diaz’s strong statements come just before Pedro Sanchez’s appearance before the deputies.
Yolanda Diaz’s remarks were rather well received by the Polisario Front which spoke through its delegate in Spain Abdulah Arabi. The Saharawi diplomat hailed on Twitter the “clarity” and “firmness” with which Yolanda Diaz expressed herself on Western Sahara.
Yolanda Diaz’s charge against Pedro Sanchez comes months before Spain’s general election at the end of the year. The head of the Spanish government leads a fragile coalition formed by Republicans known for their positions in favor of Western Sahara.
It will be very difficult for Pedro Sanchez to govern without his left-wing allies, especially since the right-wing opposition is preparing to overthrow him, in particular, because of his decisions which have had a strong impact on Spain’s relations with his immediate entourage, including Algeria.
Especially since Sanchez’s alignment with Moroccan theses on Western Sahara has not calmed the Kingdom’s ambitions concerning Sebta and Melilla. On April 7, the president of the House of Councilors of Morocco, Enaam Mayara called for the return of these two slaves to Morocco by Spain. Three days later, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles recalled who owned Sebta and Melilla.
For its part, Algeria sees no solution to the crisis with Spain as long as Pedro Sanchez is in power in Madrid. Algiers is counting on the defeat of the head of the Spanish government in the next elections to hope for a return of Spain to a position of neutrality on Western Sahara.
