The head of one of Spain’s leading newspapers has likened Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to dictator Francisco Franco, accusing his government of attempting to seize control of the country’s most influential media outlet.
Joseph Oughourlian, principal shareholder of El País, issued a fierce defence of press freedom in a recent editorial—warning against political interference in Spain’s ‘paper of record’—and writing
It would be unacceptable that, as we remember the death of dictator Francisco Franco 50 years ago, anyone in power should attempt to take over an independent media outlet.
Oughourlian’s statement comes amid reports that Sánchez’s government is pressuring shareholders in Prisa, the media conglomerate that owns El País, to sell their stakes to government-friendly investors. Oughourlian has vowed to resist, framing the dispute as a fight for independent journalism.
The controversy reached Spain’s parliament on Wednesday when the leader of the opposition centre-right Partido Popular (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, confronted Sánchez about his government’s alleged role in pressuring Prisa shareholders.
However, Sánchez refused to engage with the issue, instead diverting the discussion to defence spending. Feijóo fired back, accusing Sánchez of deliberately avoiding the issue:
The president of El País had to remind you that you cannot behave like a dictator. You’ve been more focused on the war for Prisa than the war in Ukraine.
Sánchez continued to ignore the allegations, instead attacking the opposition for unrelated matters, leading critics to accuse him of evading accountability.
The controversy stems from reports that Sánchez’s government has sought to pressure shareholders in Prisa to align with its interests. French magazine Le Point reported that in February, a Spanish government minister and executives from Telefónica—a firm in which the Spanish state holds a 10% stake—met with representatives of Vivendi, a French media company that holds shares in Prisa.
According to the report, Vivendi was told to sell its stake to allies of the government or risk losing advertising contracts from Telefónica.
Despite the government’s denials, the allegations have fuelled concerns about growing political influence over Spain’s media.
Oughourlian, a French-Armenian financier, has been fighting to maintain his control over Prisa, where he holds a 29% stake. His resistance to political influence became apparent when he blocked a proposal to launch a television network under Prisa’s banner. The proposed channel was expected to be supportive of Sánchez’s policies, providing a counterbalance to existing supposedly “right-wing” networks.
Citing financial risks, Oughourlian rejected the plan, a decision that appears to have escalated tensions.
In response, Oughourlian has taken steps to consolidate his position. He recently assumed the presidency of El País and restructured Prisa’s board to strengthen his influence. Observers see his editorial as a direct challenge to the government.
This battle for El País is particularly significant because the newspaper has historically been liberal-leaning and broadly supportive of Sánchez’s government. More than just a news outlet, El País played a crucial role in Spain’s transition to democracy after Franco’s death in 1975, becoming a symbol of press freedom and modernisation.
However, its reputation has come under scrutiny in recent years as critics accuse it of slavishly following the Socialist government’s line. This appears not to have saved it from Sánchez’s current efforts at a hostile takeover.
The dispute over El País has sparked wider fears about democracy in Spain. Critics have accused Sánchez’s government of undermining the independence of key institutions, from the Bank of Spain to state-run companies. Feijóo has warned that the country is “heading towards autocracy.”
With Prisa’s annual shareholder meeting set for June, the battle for control is far from over. A coalition of investors reportedly aligned with the government is seeking to oust Oughourlian and install a leadership more favourable to Sánchez. If successful, this could reshape El País and, by extension, Spanish media more broadly.
For now, Oughourlian remains defiant. Quoting the famous phrase often attributed to George Orwell, he wrote: “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.”
