Former minister and former Organization Secretary of the PSOE, José Luis Ábalos, announced this afternoon that he is retiring after resigning his seat in the Congress of Deputies. As he explained, this decision is due to the fact that, upon leaving his seat, he lost both his income and the social protection that allowed him to support himself financially, so he considers retiring to be "the only viable option".
The message was published through the X account managed by his team to provide updates on his situation, while he remains in prison.
#EnElNombreDeÁbalos | Facing the great interpreters and given the great expectation raised by my resignation as a deputy, I leave two questions:
— EN EL NOMBRE DE ÁBALOS (@abalosmeco) January 29, 2026
1st) I have exhausted all possibilities within my reach, but once stripped of all my rights and duties, and… https://t.co/TiQjp0HmVg
"Deprived of all income and social protection, tell me also how I am to live to meet my family's commitments and face my defense" and "I have no other choice but to retire and opt for retirement" and "I have exhausted all possibilities within my reach, but once stripped of all my rights and duties, and divested of all function... tell me what is the role and what does it mean to be a deputy" and "Objective achieved!"
What happens now with Ábalos?
The resignation from his seat as a deputy has already been formalized before the Congress's Board, which means Ábalos loses his parliamentary rights and duties, including his privileged jurisdiction before the Supreme Court where he was being investigated.
After leaving Congress, the Chamber's legal services are studying whether Ábalos could be entitled to the severance pay provided for deputies who leave their seats after several years in office, although so far there is no confirmation that he will be able to collect it
With this decision, Ábalos puts an end to his active political career and focuses on securing his personal and family situation while his legal process continues.