Madrid PP party stands by Móstoles mayor after judge formally charges him with sexual and workplace harassment
A magistrate in Móstoles has cited Manuel Bautista to testify as an investigated party on October 9 for alleged sexual and workplace harassment of a former PP councilwoman; the party's Madrid leadership responded with 'absolutely' and 'of course' when asked if their support stands.
The case against Manuel Bautista, the Popular Party mayor of Móstoles (215,000 residents), moved into a formal investigative phase after the examining magistrate dismissed his defence appeals. The judge from Court No. 2 on Violence against Women in Móstoles has set October 9 for Bautista's questioning, followed by witness hearings on October 23 and November 6.
- Former councilwoman files criminal complaint against Mayor Manuel Bautista
- PP councillor Raúl Gallego resigns his seat in solidarity with the complainant
- Complainant ratifies the complaint before the investigating judge
- Judge dismisses defence appeal and orders the investigation to continue
- Formal charge (imputación) is reported; PP Madrid leadership publicly confirms support
- Mayor cited to testify as an investigated party
- First witnesses, including ex-councilman Gallego and former communications chief David Zamorano, testify
- Additional witness questioning
The allegations
The former councilwoman, who had been number two on the PP municipal list, filed a criminal complaint on February 16 with the court. She alleges that after she rejected three explicit sexual propositions from the mayor, Bautista launched a campaign that spread false rumours of an intimate relationship, isolated her and blocked her from carrying out her council duties until she felt forced to resign. "Tras mi negativa a mantener relaciones sexuales comenzaron el aislamiento y la discriminación," the complaint states. The charges include sexual and workplace harassment, coercion, disclosure of secrets and an attack on moral integrity.
Party leadership closes ranks
At a news event in Madrid on Monday, PP Madrid secretary-general Alfonso Serrano was asked five times whether the party continued to back Bautista and answered each time with a firm "por supuesto" ("of course"). Earlier, after the complaint first surfaced, Serrano had told a reporter, "hay quien decide qué es acoso y qué no lo es" ("some people decide what harassment is and what isn't") and, when pressed, retorted "¿Y tú cómo ligas?" ("And how do you flirt?"). The PP spokesman in the Madrid Assembly, Carlos Díaz-Pache, added a single "absolutamente" ("absolutely"). Regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who attended the same event, left without commenting.
¿Debe dimitir el presidente del Gobierno? ¿Va a dimitir el hermano del presidente? ¿Va a dimitir la mujer del presidente?
Internal pressure and a recorded meeting
The complainant alleges that when she turned to the party for help, senior PP officials not only shelved her internal grievance but actively dissuaded her from going to the courts. A recording submitted to the court captures the party's vice-secretary of organisation, Ana Millán, telling her: "Ese amparo pasa porque te quites de la cabeza cualquier tipo de denuncia. Vamos a parar esto. Esto es un acoso de manual." Serrano also met with the woman and, according to her account, applied pressure to keep the matter inside the party.
El Partido Popular está para ayudarte. Ese amparo pasa porque te quites de la cabeza cualquier tipo de denuncia.
Political reaction beyond the PP
The health minister and leader of Más Madrid, Mónica García, accused the PP of sending a "devastating" signal. "Te quedarás sola," she wrote. The central government's delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, demanded Bautista step down, arguing he should have resigned "months ago, when the case came to light" and that PP leaders had "shielded him for months while cruelly pointing at the victim."
El mensaje que el PP manda a las mujeres que denuncian es devastador: te quedarás sola.
The defence has already appealed to the Provincial Court of Madrid, arguing the admission of the complaint lacks sufficient specifics and indicia. The judicial calendar now stretches into November, while Bautista remains in office with the explicit backing of his party's regional leadership.
