Spanish columnist Luis María Anson wrote that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been overwhelmed by the migration crisis in Ceuta, describing the Spanish leader as a hostage of the king of Morocco who is flailing without direction amid the turmoil the crisis has caused in the Spanish city on the North African coast.
In a column published in the "Canela fina" opinion section, Anson said many observers believe Sánchez's Socialist party, the PSOE, is dying amid the unrest in Ceuta, and that Sánchez himself is already a political corpse.
Dispute over a royal visit
Anson wrote that Sánchez has the constitutional right not to authorize a trip by King Felipe VI to Ceuta, citing the political uncertainty such a visit could create in relations with Morocco. But he said many believe the real reason was different: that Sánchez did not want the king surrounded by public sympathy while the president himself faced insults, condemnation, caricatures and jeers, as happened previously in Paiporta.
Paiporta, a town in the Valencia region, became a flashpoint after the deadly floods of late 2024, when King Felipe VI's visit to the disaster zone drew an outpouring of public anger directed at government officials while the king himself was met with a warmer reception. Anson argued the king should not deviate from his constitutional duties, invoking the advice he said the monarch's grandfather, Juan de Borbón, the Count of Barcelona, would have given him.
A refused phone call
According to Anson, Sánchez also wanted King Felipe VI to telephone his Moroccan counterpart to congratulate him for his handling of the Ceuta crisis in favor of Spanish interests. The Spanish king refused, provoking anger from the president, Anson wrote.
Anson said the king was right to refuse, arguing that many sharp-eyed observers believe the Moroccan monarch not only failed to oppose what Anson called a vandalous invasion but may have supported and encouraged it. He said nothing moves in Morocco without the king's knowledge, adding that this includes 80,000 people.
Praise and blame within the cabinet
Anson wrote that Sánchez's government includes capable ministers alongside others he called inept and slow, and said Sánchez himself is now paying the price for the incompetence of those he appointed. He said public opinion is left asking what information the king of Morocco holds over the Spanish leader to keep him deferential toward the Moroccan throne.
Clash in Congress
Anson noted that Sánchez addressed the Congress of Deputies the previous day, defending what he described as the impeccable efficiency of his government's handling of the Ceuta crisis and the correctness of his own personal conduct. Anson wrote that opposition leaders Alberto Núñez Feijóo, of the Partido Popular, and Santiago Abascal, of Vox, swept him aside forcefully during that session.
Ceuta is a Spanish autonomous city bordering Morocco that has long been a focal point for attempted migrant crossings into European territory. Anson, a veteran journalist and member of the Real Academia Española, closed his column by saying he did not want to pour further fuel on the tension between the Moncloa government headquarters and the Zarzuela royal palace, saying it is in Spain's interest for the king and the prime minister to maintain a serious and constructive constitutional relationship.
