The Partido Popular denounced this Wednesday what it considers a "gross manipulation" by the PSOE through the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS), after the Opinion Barometer for the month of October, the first after the eviction of Maricarmen, the housing encampment, and the repeal of the coalition government's decrees, once again placed the socialists in the lead, with an estimated vote of 34%, three points more than in the previous month.
According to the PP, this result is a new example of what it describes as "systematic embezzlement" by the Government, and confirms, in its opinion, that the organization led by José Félix Tezanos acts with a bias favorable to Pedro Sánchez's Executive. The party also maintains that the published data doubles the PSOE's lead over the PP, which registers its worst figure of the last year.
Feijóo promises to "immediately" dismiss Tezanos
In its statement, the popular party assured that, if Alberto Núñez Feijóo reaches the Palacio de la Moncloa, one of the first decisions will be the dismissal of José Félix Tezanos from the head of the CIS. The party announced that this departure would be "immediate", considering that the institution has been distorted and converted into an extension of Ferraz.
The PP maintains that, since Sánchez placed a member of the federal executive of the PSOE at the head of the organization, the CIS has refused to ask about issues that, according to the popular party, directly affect the Government, such as the "only yes is yes" law, the amnesty law, or the Executive's actions regarding the invasion of Ceuta. "Today, Tezanos asked about the invasion of Ukraine. About Ceuta, not a single question," the PP denounced in its statement, insisting that the public body should not be at the service of the electoral needs of the Prime Minister.
The popular leadership also recalled that José Félix Tezanos was sanctioned by the Junta Electoral Central (JEC) with a fine of 3,000 euros, for conducting a flash survey during Sánchez's five days of reflection in the pre-campaign of the Catalan elections. In addition, the party pointed out that it had already announced on March 23 the filing of a complaint against the president of the CIS for a possible electoral crime. "We warned then and we maintain it now: everyone's money cannot be at the service of Sánchez's electoral needs," emphasized the party, which believes that, when the bias systematically benefits the same party, demanding accountability is, in its opinion, defending democracy.
In the same vein, the PP stated that Spaniards "do not have to pay for this permanent electoral campaign by Sánchez" and demanded that both the head of the Executive and Tezanos respond for having, according to their version, distorted the function of the CIS to turn it into a tool at the service of the presidency of the Government.
The PP advocates for depoliticizing the CIS
Feijóo's party defended that "a depoliticization of the CIS is essential" and recalled that this measure is part of the PP leader's democratic regeneration project. Likewise, it pointed out that it had already promoted an investigation commission in the Senate and that it registered a law in this legislature to depoliticize the organization, an initiative that obtained the support of the plenary with the vote against the PSOE.
In parallel, the vicesecretary of Treasury of the PP, Juan Bravo, questioned the credibility of the CIS data in an interview on Cuatro, reported by Europa Press. Bravo stated that Mr. Tezanos and the CIS have lost, in his opinion, all the credibility they might have had. The popular leader cited some survey results to highlight the economic and social situation, and pointed out that before "3% of the Spanish population considered themselves poor" and that now 19% "consider themselves lower class or poor". He also stressed that 93.5% of Spaniards want to own a home, but cannot access one, a situation he attributed to "eight years of Sanchismo."
Asked if he believes the CIS lies, Juan Bravo replied that one does not need to be "very smart" to see that the organization led by Tezanos uses the data "for its own interest." He added that within the CIS there are people who do their job well, but also others who, in his opinion, try to take the data to manipulate it for their convenience.
