Rally and public display
Pedro Sánchez walked into the PSOE rally in Fuenlabrada on Saturday, 17 October 2026, holding hands with his wife, Begoña Gómez. On stage she embraced him and kissed him on the mouth, a moment that drew applause from the crowd at the Centro de Arte Tomás y Valiente. Gómez had not appeared at a party event since the 41st Federal Congress in Seville in December 2024, although she had made a surprise appearance at a rally in Benalmádena, Málaga, months earlier. The event marked the start of the pre-campaign for the general election set for 29 November.
In his speech Sánchez addressed his wife directly.
Today Begoña is with me. Thank you for being my wife, the mother of my daughters and my partner.
He went on to say that the couple had been targeted in every way possible, that the attempts had backfired, and that they were stronger and more united than ever. He wore a red T-shirt bearing the slogan 'The strength of the people'.
The trial awaiting Gómez
On 21 September 2026, judge Juan Carlos Peinado ordered that Gómez be tried before a jury on charges of influence peddling and embezzlement. The investigation had run for almost two and a half years, and both minister Félix Bolaños and Sánchez himself had given evidence as witnesses. Prosecutors asked for her acquittal, arguing that the facts do not amount to a criminal offence. The PSOE defends her innocence and calls the case a political one. Gómez is expected to sit in the dock within months, and she is still awaiting trial.
- Gómez attends the 41st PSOE Federal Congress in Seville, her last party appearance before this rally
- Judge Juan Carlos Peinado orders oral trial before a jury
- Sánchez and Gómez appear together at the Fuenlabrada rally
Party lineup and speeches
Earlier on Saturday the party's Federal Committee unanimously proclaimed Sánchez as its candidate for prime minister and ratified the lists for Congress and the Senate. The party also named Rebeca Torró as its spokesperson after Montse Mínguez resigned amid the controversy over the '30 pisos' affair. Óscar López, leader of the Madrid socialists, welcomed Gómez from the stage, telling her she was at home there. López then said the party had two aims: keeping Sánchez in the Moncloa and then winning Sol, the Madrid regional presidency that the PP has held for four decades.
Almost all of the party's regional leaders attended. Emiliano García-Page of Castilla-La Mancha stayed away, irritated that the Federal Committee had no speaking slots, and Salvador Illa did not come because of rain alerts in Catalonia.
Crowd size
The Centro de Arte Tomás y Valiente, with capacity for about 1,500 people, was full almost an hour before the event began, and more than 1,500 people gathered for the rally. At least 500 more militants and supporters were left outside. Fuenlabrada, a city south of Madrid with 190,000 inhabitants, is governed by its mayor, Javier Ayala, who sits on the PSOE Federal Executive and holds an absolute majority on the council.