Emiliano García-Page has once again made public his differences with Pedro Sánchez in the midst of the pre-campaign for the general elections on November 29. The president of Castilla-La Mancha acknowledges that relations are "objectively very bad" and reproaches the Government for the lack of communication about its visits to the community. In an interview published this Friday by 'encastillalamancha.es', he also launched a message against the socialist leadership. "I am more of the Socialist Party than some who lead it," he stated.
Page maintains his commitment to campaign for the PSOE, although he limits his interventions to the priorities of Castilla-La Mancha. He also rejects that the PP intends for him to ask for votes for other formations or do "the dirty work" against his own party. His statements, however, once again place the internal confrontation in the electoral debate, when the socialists are trying to mobilize their voters and defend Sánchez's continuity in Moncloa.
Noblejas and the reproaches to the Government
The regional president has used Sánchez's visit to Noblejas, last September 25, as an example of the distancing. "It has become quite clear to me the distance he wants to have with the president of this land," he said. Asked about possible joint campaign events, he added that he understands the message and that he is not going to "contradict him."
According to his account, the Junta learned of the trip after receiving a notice that the Government delegate would accompany Sánchez and would stop attending the event with Queen Letizia in Talavera de la Reina, where Page was participating. The leader maintains that this episode is part of a lack of institutional communication that has been repeated for years, with visits from ministers of which he receives no notice or invitation.
The clash is preceded by other public attacks. In September, Page accused Sánchez of "living on his knees to the bloodiest minorities", in allusion to Junts and EH Bildu. His discrepancies about the Government's parliamentary partners have now given way to reproaches about institutional treatment and a vindication of his belonging to the PSOE against those who lead it.
A campaign focused on his territory
Page believes that Sánchez has opted for a "preventive" electoral call, after Congress rejected the two housing decrees. "Any scenario different from the current one would be worse," he maintained. His reading presents the early election as a way to avoid further deterioration, while announcing that he will talk about water, public health and education, social services and dependency, and will demand commitments especially from his party.
His decision to separate the regional debate from the national one has a clear electoral precedent. In the regional elections of May 2023, the PSOE obtained around 45% of the vote and 17 of the 33 seats, retaining an absolute majority. Two months later, in the general elections, it remained around 34% in Castilla-La Mancha and obtained eight deputies, compared to ten for the PP and three for Vox. The regional strength of the party was not transferred to the same extent to the national candidacy.
The regional PP has already taken advantage of that distance to pressure him. Its spokesperson, Alejandra Hernández, has described the criticism of Sánchez as "pure theater", considering that they do not alter Page's electoral support for the PSOE. Thus, the socialist leader faces the pre-campaign defending his party while his reproaches to the leadership offer the opposition another argument to question his position.
Regarding the candidacies, Page has avoided committing to specific names, including the proposal of the local executive of Toledo for Milagros Tolón to head the list for Congress. "I will respect what the party proposes in each province," he stated. As for the result of 29N, he calculated that in Castilla-La Mancha "the most that can be at stake is losing one deputy," a personal forecast that he did not accompany with demographic data in the interview.
