The departure of Montse Mínguez shakes the PSOE: from her partner's real estate businesses to her resignation

Just four days have been enough for the spokesperson for the Federal Executive of the PSOE, Montse Mínguez, to go from defending the legality of her partner's real estate businesses, Sergi Vélez, and receiving the support of the socialist leadership to announcing her resignation. Mínguez decided this Friday to take "a step back" and resign from all her positions in the party as well as to repeat as a deputy in Congress.

In a statement released this Friday, Mínguez claims to have made the decision "convinced that it is the best for the collective project" and maintains that, at a "crucial" moment for the country, responsibility must be placed "above any personal considerations." The PSOE has stated that it respects his decision and has thanked him for his "dedication and commitment", his defense of socialist values ​​and his "impeccable career".

From the PSOE they have reported that Mínguez resigns by his own decision from the spokesperson, from his position in the Executive of the party and also from his candidacy for the 29N elections. The PSC of Lleida had elected it as the head of its list to Congress and it had to be ratified this Saturday in the Federal Committee.

A day before, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, had confirmed from Brussels that he maintained his support for the spokesperson. This Friday, after learning of the resignation, Sánchez explained from Brussels that it was Mínguez herself who asked him not to be part of the electoral lists. "I told her not to do it because I think she is an extraordinary spokesperson, she is an immense politician," he said.

Sánchez has attributed his decision to the personal exhaustion caused by the controversy and has regretted "the level of harshness, aggressiveness and hatred" that, in his opinion, some political leaders and their families suffer. In addition, he said that he knew from other members of the party that the until now spokesperson was "broken" and "having a very bad time from a personal point of view." "Politics sometimes mistreats good people. Montse's case is one of them," he concluded.

In fact, the departure has come just a few hours after several socialist leaders closed ranks with her. This same Friday morning, the PSOE spokesperson in Congress, Patxi López, defended that Mínguez had an "impeccable" career and that he had "never, never, never" taken a step, defended a position or voted in favor of his partner's business interests. "He has done the opposite," he said, before highlighting his votes in favor of affordable housing and limiting the benefits of "vulture funds and large holders."

Likewise, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, took the edge off the controversy by assuring that his partner's businesses "have absolutely no importance for the vast majority of people." Bolaños described it as "touching" that PP and Vox used the matter to, in his opinion, avoid talking about housing problems and referred to the explanations offered by Mínguez herself.

Real estate business

The controversy broke out this Tuesday after Article 14 published that Mínguez's boyfriend is CEO of the real estate group Nest Capital. Vélez holds active positions in eleven companies and one of the group companies, Nest Capital Homes, accumulates 6.3 million euros in real estate investments at book value. Vélez would have at least 30 apartments and, according to El Español, he would have two companies in Panama within his family's business conglomerate, which includes real estate businesses.

The information published this week maintains that the company had resorted to the courts on several occasions in response to non-payment situations and had had up to three eviction procedures in progress. Mínguez, for his part, declares three real estate properties in his name in his congressional asset declaration.

The information was uncomfortable for the PSOE in the midst of the party's offensive to place housing at the center of the electoral campaign. Just a few days before, Mínguez had publicly defended the Government's measures to intervene in the market and had spread the slogan "Vote with V for housing" on social networks.

The socialist leader gave her first explanations that same Tuesday in an interview in Espejo Público. Mínguez began by rejecting that the controversy was transferred to personal matters and defended his partner's business activity. He explained that it is "a family business that is dedicated to renting" and assured that it complies with both the legality and the housing law that applies in Catalonia.

Mínguez also tried to separate this business from the policy defended by the PSOE in terms of housing and maintained that his party does not intend to go against companies or owners, but rather to limit rent increases and protect tenants. "What we are going to limit is the increase in rent," he said. He also denied that his partner's companies had evicted vulnerable people.

The PP turns the case into electoral ammunition

The Popular Party charged from the first moment against the PSOE against one of the main axes of the Government's campaign. The PP spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, accused the PSOE of "incoherence" and "hypocrisy" and recovered Mínguez's message "Vote with V for housing" to reply: "With V for housing and with B for vultures."

The popular ones came to "formally" demand a debate on housing with Mínguez "or with her husband" and broadcast a video on social networks in which they described the socialists as "hypocrites." The PP linked the case to the eviction of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman who died weeks after being evicted from her home, after members of the Government had harshly attacked the company that owned that property.