The Diplomat The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, yesterday in Bucharest, urged the parties that make up the Socialist International to become the "last line of defense" against the extreme right and to act as an "antidote" to what he considered "reactionary populism." Sánchez went to the Romanian capital to participate in a meeting of the European Committee of the Socialist International, a group that he has chaired since November 2022, and which includes 132 socialist and labor groups from around the world. Furthermore, during his stay in Bucharest he met with the Prime Minister of that country, Marcel Ciolacu, a member of the Romanian Social Democratic Party. In the speech he gave to his coreligionists, Sánchez insisted that socialist parties are the "last line of defense" against the extreme right, and that the antidote to what he called "reactionary populism" is a Government that addresses the problems of his people, because - he added - it is “the way to combat the frustration and anger on which the extreme right feeds.” According to the President of the Government, social democracy has shown that its values and principles have been successful in recent crises, such as the pandemic or the energy crisis. "So it's not about being right. It's about winning, winning elections. But not only winning in the battle of ideas (…), but also in the battle of concrete actions," said Sánchez, mentioning , for example, raising the minimum wage for workers or strengthening the welfare state. "We must turn this moral victory into a real victory, because this is the way to prevent the extreme right from ruling, as Marcel is doing in Romania and, of course, myself in Spain," he said, referring to the Prime Minister of Romania. Sánchez acknowledged that far-right forces are advancing in Europe not only electorally, but also "imposing their schemes" on conventional right-wing parties that, he said, are "incapable of resisting their push." The head of the Executive accused the conservative parties of increasingly assuming the discourse of the extreme right on issues such as immigration, equality or the fight against climate change. “Some parties, he commented, that socialism cannot count on right now to confront the extreme right. "It is our responsibility in the face of this reactionary wave, because no one else will do it. We are the last line of defense and it is up to us that Europe does not betray its own soul," he stated. Pedro Sánchez encouraged the social democratic forces to "act with determination and loyalty" to their principles to confront those who, he believed, polarize and break societies through lies, hoaxes and misinformation. And he affirmed that the Socialist International must assume what he has called the historical responsibility of being "a beacon of hope for the progressive peoples of the continent, of Europe, and building bridges in the face of shared challenges." The President of the Government pointed out that there are reasons "for hope", recalling the recent success of the CHP, the Turkish social democratic party, in local elections, and the overwhelming victory of Labor in the United Kingdom. In addition, he expressed his confidence that this Sunday the progressive forces will win in France and stop what he called a "reactionary wave." To address the challenges he had referred to, he proposed the creation of a European committee of the Socialist International to promote collaboration between the different parties on the continent. In that sense, he pointed out that it is necessary for the different forces to cooperate and understand each other better, and also to expand dialogue with other continents such as Africa and Latin America. In the latter, he warned, "the advance of reactionary populism is especially worrying."
