Santos Cerdán has served as the PSOE’s Organizing Secretary since July 2021, but in recent months he has become one of the most visible figures on the national political stage. He was dispatched to Brussels and Geneva to discuss Pedro Sánchez’s appointment and played a key role in the agreement with Bildu that enabled the mayoralty in Pamplona, Navarra. This Friday, he arrives in Valencia for more than a routine appearance at an event and a dinner with party militants.
Cerdán is expected to participate in bipartisan events that were canceled earlier in the month after his first meeting with Carles Puigdemont following the government’s formation. The plan calls for stops in Valencia on Friday and Alicante on Saturday night. In parallel, a major appointment looms on his schedule: party sources indicate that Cerdán will attend the PSPV National Committee meeting on Saturday morning, and it is anticipated that he will address the delegates as well as participate in the proceedings.
Historically, it has been unusual for the Federal Organizing Secretary to attend such a forum, lending the event an exceptional tone—perhaps even more so than during the days when the party’s general secretary, Ximo Puig, awaited decisive moves from the center. Cerdán’s proximity to Pedro Sánchez’s inner circle underscores the central role of the federal leadership in shaping the next waves of organizational strategy. For some observers, the move also serves a balancing function, preserving stability in the face of potential friction.
The National Committee, the highest body between congresses, is expected to project an image of unity: Puig and Sánchez aligned through trusted allies, as the Valencian federation undergoes a renewed phase. Ferraz, and thus the central government, appear to be aligned in both action and rhetoric ahead of what appears to be a pivotal gathering of party insiders. In this context, all eyes turn to Diana Morant, the science minister and former mayor of Gandia, who stands to succeed Puig and lead the Valencian federation after an extraordinary congress in the coming months. The aim for both Valencian and national leadership is to reach a smooth transition and avoid internal splits.
Morant’s dual closeness to Sánchez and Puig works in her favor, yet she faces a challenge: balancing the duties of running a federation with a ministerial portfolio is uncommon. A precedent exists in Ángel Víctor Torres, who serves as the general secretary of the Canary Islands Socialists and is minister of Regional Policy. Still, the events of the National Committee tomorrow will largely hinge on whether the former head of the Generalitat endorses a particular path. Her political and personal future may depend on that choice. Among the debated possibilities is becoming Spain’s representative to the OECD, a topic of considerable commentary and speculation among observers.