Carlos Mazón rubs his hands as a veteran observer watches him step into a new Christmas season as president. He arrives unscathed, with his party not in the spotlight and with no rift in his coalition with Vox. Madrid sits in the foreground of his attention, while the left grapples with its own upheaval. After eight years in opposition, the centre-left is reconfiguring, and the two forces that kept Cortes afloat have not vanished. The PSPV even picked up votes in recent cycles.
Now, following Podemos’ electoral setback, signs are emerging of strain between Sumar and Compromís. Within the broader coalition known as Initiative, fractures are surfacing, including the appointment to a higher level within government and the general management of Imserso. This trend traces back to Mónica Oltra’s exit from politics and shows no clear end in sight for the moment.
Meanwhile, the dominant centre-left party appears to be in a state of heightened urgency since the transition, a pattern not seen in other socialist federations that have both grown and lost regional presidencies over time. Is tradition driving these dynamics, or something else?
Against this backdrop, PSPV has congratulated the national committee on a Saturday session that has set the stage for important decisions anticipated from the party’s leadership and the former president of the Valencian Generalitat, Ximo Puig.
Recent weeks reveal a quiet but persistent influence from Ferraz and, by extension, Moncloa, shaping the political tone. This is evident in the departure of current managers and the arrival of new figures. The central argument is to steer clear of civil wars and the wear they bring, while the image of Pedro Sánchez looms in the background. The question remains: who would dare push a change that contradicts the leadership’s chosen path?
The current state of the PSPV is the focal point of these discussions, as it will influence future days and weeks. The broader stakes revolve around the federation’s autonomy, which goes beyond formal independence and into how decision-making will evolve in the years ahead.
Puig’s horizon
Considering the conversations of recent weeks, multiple paths open up for Puig. One option involves international representation, with talks about a possible role at the Spanish embassy with the OECD in Paris. Such a move would mean leaving current positions and kicking off a renewal process in the Council of Europe. The party’s president is seen as a favored candidate by Minister Diana Morant, who enjoys close ties to Puig and has broad trust from Sánchez. Some view this as Ferraz’s favored route, though it would clash with Puig’s own rhetoric since the May 28 election that urged calm and stability during a transition.
Another possibility is to maintain his current main role as senator, while pushing for a rapid change in the general secretary through an extraordinary congress. In party dynamics, he would keep the steering wheel, and the conclusion of such an operation could bring Morant into the limelight as well.
A third scenario, rooted in Puig’s long political journey, is that even amid internal tensions everything could end up inconclusive, with him remaining a senator and a regional deputy until a formal national congress is held after the federal congress. This path would keep him in a leadership line with a regular country congress still on the horizon.
What happens next will unfold soon. Key players are expected to appear, likely including Santos Cerdán, Ferraz’s organizing secretary and a trusted ally of Sánchez, who has scheduled meetings with state leaders in Valencia and Alicante on the coming Friday and Saturday.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether Ferraz’s strategic plans can be translated into on-the-ground actions. The hope is for internal peace during the lengthy transition until the next regional elections, along with a stable environment that allows the federation to chart a clear course forward. One thing is certain in the near term: Mazón can breathe more easily than before.