The Second Vice President of the Spanish Government and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, firmly responded to the accusations launched by former socialist minister José Luis Ábalos, who publicly demanded that she clarify who stayed in the official residence of the Ministry during the pandemic. Díaz stated that José Luis has the opportunity to explain before the Justice what he was doing during the pandemic, avoiding commenting on the case as it is an ongoing proceeding. The leader of Sumar also defended the work of her ministry during the health crisis, emphasizing that the Ministry of Labor became one of the key areas to sustain employment in an exceptional context. She recalled that they faced an unprecedented task and that the personal and professional dedication of her team was decisive in preventing a greater collapse in the labor market. The exchange between Díaz and Ábalos resurfaces internal tensions within the progressive space and occurs at a time when the coalition government seeks to convey stability, while the judicial case involving the former minister continues to generate political impacts. “It is public and notorious that during the pandemic I lived with my then-husband and my daughter; and it is public and notorious that during the pandemic, five women gave our all at the Ministry of Labor to save companies and workers,” she highlighted, reclaiming her team's role in negotiating ERTEs and containing economic paralysis. The statements come after Ábalos, embroiled in a judicial process for alleged corruption, demanded from social networks that she clarify if there were unauthorized people staying in the official residence. Upon arriving at a Fórum Europe event in Madrid, Díaz assured that her personal and family situation during that period was “public and notorious,” and that there was never any irregularity whatsoever. In her statements to the media, Díaz recalled that during the toughest months of the health emergency, she resided in the official residence with her then-husband and her daughter, something she emphasized was known and consistent with the level of work and responsibilities she assumed during the crisis. Madrid, November 27, 2025 – Total News Agency-TNA-
