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PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

Spain’s Prime Minister to star in his own documentary series

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will be the protagonist of a new documentary series which will look at the inner workings of the Spanish government and offer a glimpse into the daily and personal life of the head of government. 

Published: 10 March 2022 11:17 CET
Spain's Prime Minister to star in his own documentary series
Spain's Prime minister Pedro Sánchez, seen here talking with soldiers in Latvia during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, has not yet commented on his participation in the documentary. (Photo by Toms Norde / AFP)

Titled La Moncloa, in reference to the Spanish equivalent of the White House or 10 Downing Street, the four-part docuseries is reportedly in the middle of shooting, with filmmakers following Sánchez and his team of staff as they carry out their daily routine in government.

According to the two production studios behind the project, Secuoya Studios and The Pool, the documentary will “show two facets, the institutional side and the human side”.

It reportedly won’t consist of “purely political or ideological arguments” but rather be “an observational story, which will focus on the more personal and everyday aspects” of life for those in the Spanish government.

A release date for the docuseries has not yet been announced, nor the streaming platform or TV channel on which it will air, but the producers have advanced that the narrative and visual proposal will transit between documentary and factual cinema.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is currently focusing on the war in Ukraine, has not offered any comment on his participation in the project so far.

The documentary will be directed by Curro Sánchez Varela, the son of famed Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía, who has extensive experience directing short films, commercials and music videos.

His 2015 documentary about his father – La Búsqueda – won him Spain’s Goya Award for Best Documentary.

“We’re living through strange times, so having the possibility of having such transparent, free and honest access into the day-to-day of the Presidency of Spain’s Government makes us appreciate more than ever the fact that we’re living in a democratic country, in which its citizens are guaranteed their freedoms,” Varela is quoted as saying by radio station Onda Cero.

Sánchez and his wife María Begoña Gómez Fernández outside 10 Downing Street in London in 2019. (Photo by Niklas HALLE’N / AFP)

Even though Sánchez will be one of the main protagonists of the series, Varela says the project is also about “honouring and giving prestige to the team of workers who, in many cases, have been working for more than four decades at the service of different prime ministers in La Moncloa.

Sánchez, who was born in Madrid in 1952, is the head of Spain’s socialist PSOE party and has been Prime Minister since 2018. He is married and has two daughters.

Referred to as ‘Mr Handsome’ in the British and US press, Pedro Sánchez has won admirers around the world for his good looks, which may help the documentary series get some attention overseas.

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POLITICS

Why separatist Bildu spells hope for Basque youth as Spanish region votes

"For us Basques, ETA's terrorism is in the past," says social worker Elena García, who says she's going to vote for the left-wing separatist EH Bildu in Sunday's election in Spain's Basque Country.

Published: 18 April 2024 09:21 CEST
Why separatist Bildu spells hope for Basque youth as Spanish region votes

As the wealthy northern region of 2.2 million residents heads into a tightly-contested vote for its regional parliament, polls suggest Bildu will win, inching ahead of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) that has ruled for decades.

A faction which partly emerged from the political wing of the now-defunct Basque armed separatist group ETA, Bildu “used to be associated with a nationalist party with a terrorist past but it’s moved away from that,” said García.

“Now it’s the party doing the most for social issues and defending Basque interests.”

Although she’s 40, her words reflect a stance common among young Basque voters for whom decades of dark separatist violence has little bearing on their electoral choices.

A coalition of several parties, most of which opposed violence, Bildu has worked to disassociate itself from ETA whose bloody struggle for an independent Basque homeland claimed 850 lives before it rejected violence in 2011.

And with a focus on housing, the environment and others issues, it has won a strong following among younger voters between 18 and 44, surveys show.

Although former ETA member Arnaldo Otegi, 65, remains its leader and most public face, Bildu recently named 40-year-old Pello Otxandiano as candidate for regional leader.

Over the years, observers say it has successfully highlighted problems facing Basque society that have increasingly taken centre stage as the political focus has shifted away from the violence of the ETA years.

“Before, the only party looking after Basque interests was the PNV, so everyone voted for them regardless of their political leanings,” said García.

“But with Bildu gaining strength, if you’re left-wing and more socially minded, you’ll vote for them.”

A man and a child look at an electoral poster of pro-independence political coalition “EH Bildu” campaign meeting in the Spanish Basque city of Sestao on April 10, 2024 ahead of April 21 regional elections. (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA / AFP)

‘Left-wing separatist alternative’

Experts say Bildu has steadily gained political traction through a strategy that has steered clear of terror-related issues while refocusing squarely on social change.

“Bildu has become increasingly popular with young people, benefitting from the end of the armed struggle,” said Pablo Simón, a political scientist at Madrid’s Carlos III University.

“That has allowed it to position itself as the pro-independence, left-wing alternative to the traditional PNV government with a substantial part of its agenda linked to social policies, wealth redistribution, environmentalism and the like.”

The aim was to “move away from terrorism-related issues to talk about other problems linked to the left and the right.”

Eva Silván, who heads public policy consultancy Silvan&Miracle, said it had also scaled back its separatist agenda.

“It started talking about issues that were more material than identity based, and reducing the pro-independence agenda to focus on concrete social and public policies,” she told AFP.

And that has played well with a new generation of voters “who hadn’t experienced terrorism and didn’t link the separatist left with violence”.

For them, she said, Bildu “really taps into the concerns of young people and best addresses their problems”.

By 2019, Bildu was well on its way to becoming just another political actor with its five lawmakers in Spain’s national parliament recently becoming a key ally for the minority government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

For Basque youth, Bildu – a coalition grouping several peaceful separatist parties with former members of ETA’s political wing – spells hope in Spain election, AFP reports on April 18, 2024. (Photo by ANDER GILLENEA / AFP)

Focus on youth, poor

In a square in Bilbao, four friends in their 20s reel off a list of struggles they’re facing, from impossibly high rents to worsening job conditions and the rising cost of living.

One won’t vote because she doesn’t believe in the political system, two can’t vote because they’re undocumented immigrants and the fourth says there’s “no point”, drawing protest from her friends who say Bildu is the only option.

“It’s essential to vote because even if Bildu doesn’t win, they’ll have greater representation in the Basque parliament,” explained Moroccan Usama Abdeloihidin, 26, who works in the hotel sector.

“They’re more focused on the working class and the situation of young people. The PNV might look out for Basque interests but not if you’re from a poor or minority neighbourhood,” he said.

At a Bildu rally in nearby town of Sestao, a crowd of supporters are cheering, clapping and waving red, white and green Basque flags as three students watch from the sidelines.

“Many young people are forced to balance studies and work and this capitalist exploitation is raising political awareness, so many Basques are turning to the left, to Bildu,” said Oier Gómez Parada, a 19-year-old Basque philology student.

“Bildu is focusing on people and raising awareness about the difficult conditions we’re facing that other parties just don’t care about.”

In nearby Agurain, 23-year-old student activist Oier Inurrieta Garamendia told AFP he felt represented because Bildu “lets young people speak, and doesn’t just speak in our name”.

“Whatever happens on April 21st, we’ll have a result we can really celebrate,” he said while admitting that even if Bildu did win 30 of the Basque parliament’s 75 seats, up from 21, it stood no chance of ruling.

“When the other parties refuse to work with EH Bildu, they’re not just blocking the party, they’re blocking the needs and desires of a large part of Basque society.”

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