Spanish Prime Minister Refutes Allegations of Illness and Announces Constitutional Changes

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has found himself at the center of a political dispute concerning his health and ambitious plans for constitutional reform. The head of government publicly denied rumors suggesting he suffers from a serious cardiovascular disease. Sánchez described these reports as disinformation and fake news, accusing the opposition People's Party (PP) and the right-wing Vox formation of spreading them. In his view, this is part of a broader strategy aimed at destabilizing the government and undermining citizens' trust in state institutions. The mud machine, according to the Prime Minister, aimed to create a false image of his indisposition to divert attention from the cabinet's legislative successes. The dispute escalated in parliament when Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo of the People's Party demanded the declassification of the Prime Minister's medical records. Her stance was criticized not only by the ruling coalition but also caused visible discomfort among members of her own party. Commentators and left-wing politicians considered these questions a breach of the privacy red line, accusing the MP of legitimizing online slander in a public forum. This incident became a starting point for a debate on the boundaries between the privacy of state leaders and the public's right to information about their physical condition. In political history, the health of leaders has often been a taboo subject or a tool of struggle. Examples include the concealed ailments of Franklin D. Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy, whose health conditions were fully revealed only many years after their deaths. At the same time, the government received an opinion from the Council of State concerning the project to enshrine the right to terminate pregnancy in the fundamental law. While the body supported the idea of strengthening the protection of this right, it noted that this requires the so-called 'aggravated procedure' (Spanish: reforma agravada). This means the government would need to secure a two-thirds majority support in both houses of parliament, which given the current balance of power is practically impossible. Additionally, this procedure involves dissolving the Cortes and calling new elections, leaving the project at a standstill. „No padezco ninguna enfermedad cardiovascular. Queda Gobierno para rato.” (I do not suffer from any cardiovascular disease. There is plenty of government left.) — Pedro Sánchez In conservative media, such as "La Razón" or "ABC," the narrative of Sánchez's political calculation dominates, suggesting he uses controversial worldview topics to cover up problems within his own base. Meanwhile, liberal and left-wing media focus on defending the Prime Minister's privacy and condemning the opposition's disinformation practices.