Spain’s Sumar Party Implodes: Two Top Leaders Resign, Accusing Chief of Harassment and Fraud Ahead of July Congress

The turmoil erupted on Tuesday when Laura Moreno, the party’s Organization Secretary, quit and released a letter alleging that Hernández showed “concerning behavior towards some workers” and committed “fraud” in a member vote to favor her allies in the Valencian Community [169422]. This followed the earlier resignation of communications secretary David Comas [169422]. Moreno’s letter stated she was “progressively sidelined” over the past year, leading to a deterioration in her mental health, and revealed an internal investigation into Hernández for alleged workplace harassment based on a complaint from six senior party officials [169422].

Hernández denies all accusations, with her team calling the allegations a “smear campaign” by a critical faction within the party [169422]. They claim Hernández was not properly informed of the harassment complaint and that the investigating committee is biased [169422]. The party has now set July 11 for an extraordinary congress to resolve the crisis [170870].

The internal battle has been brewing for months and intensified after the party’s founder, Yolanda Díaz, announced she would not run in the next general election [169422]. The conflict is not about ideology but a power struggle, with critics describing Hernández’s leadership style as “almost despotic” [170870]. Party spokesperson Verónica Martínez leads the critical faction but has not yet said if she will run for the top job, stating she is “at the party’s disposal” [169422].

The crisis weakens Sumar at a delicate time, as it is renegotiating its alliance with other left-wing groups, including United Left, Más Madrid, and the Comuns, ahead of general elections [170870]. The four partners aimed to present a new name and leader before summer, but the internal war has caused “concern” among coalition allies [170870].