Desperate Power Struggle. July 2026 (Part 3)
Forecast: Global Human Forecast for July 2026. Part 1 (Published June 28, 2026, link)
S. Dragan:
We have reached the threshold of the beginning of extremely important changes in a global sense. A month that could heat up many circumstances and almost tie all the hot plots whose resolution many secretly hoped for into a single knot. But July 2026 will add fuel to the fire with the most acute events, a very desperate power struggle, adding other complexities to this spicy dish…
Forecast: "What are the prospects for the European Union. Clarification for some countries and leaders" (published August 6, 2026, link)
S. Dragan:
And if before this was a process of beginning a geopolitical hierarchy update, now, as if new agreements have come and a reassignment of forces has begun, this will affect important political figures and, accordingly, influence the fate of many countries. This process will not be quick or one-off, but as for Sanchez, by around August 9, 2026, we can already see these tectonic shifts...
Events related to the power struggle in Kyiv, London, Berlin, and some other European capitals, are covered in Part 1 and 2 of the Confirmations (from August 11 and 17), and they state that “...as if new agreements have come and a reassignment of forces has begun, this will affect important political figures and, accordingly, influence the fate of many countries.”
But understanding that “...this process will not be quick and one-off,” events in Madrid are no less interesting, and the answer to the question of how firmly Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is currently seated in his chair.
In recent times, as a result of Madrid's independent anti-American and anti-Israeli policy, powerful enemies for Sanchez in the form of representatives of these countries have become significantly more active.
As a result, Spain found itself at the epicenter of a highly dangerous and resonant migration crisis.
The catastrophic influx of Moroccan migrants into Spanish African enclaves is linked, on the one hand, to the crisis in relations with the US and Israel, and on the other, directly to the mistakes in the policy of the country's leader.
There had been isolated cases of illegal migrants penetrating into Spanish African enclaves in the past.
And time passed, and it all repeated. Only this time, much worse. If before several dozen migrants arrived over several months, then now 50,000 specially trained young fighters suddenly captured 80,000-strong Ceuta.
The main question is why? The day before the crisis, the Spanish Supreme Court issued a ruling that prohibited the immediate automatic deportation of migrants intercepted at sea attempting to reach Spanish territories in North Africa (Ceuta and Melilla). Later, Spanish authorities blamed the smugglers for spreading rumors that deportations would not take place. This was an attempt to shift the blame from Sánchez and the entire Spanish government onto others.
In fact, the court's decision was as follows: The legal details of the Spanish Supreme Court's landmark ruling (Ruling STS 868/2026 of July 8, 2026) strictly differentiate between land and sea incidents at the border. According to the judges, "hot return" (devolución en caliente) is only lawful when a person physically overcomes or assaults land-based barriers (fences, walls, perimeters of Ceuta and Melilla). The sea has no such barriers, so the court ruled that the special legal regime for immediate and simplified deportation (established in Organic Law 4/2000) cannot be applied to migrants intercepted at sea (on boats or in the water).
However, some experts consider "Ceuta" as an extension of Sanchez's campaign to streamline the legalization of migrants in Spain. The legalization campaign, which started in April and ended in late June 2026, attracted around 1.2 million applications from undocumented foreigners. The right-wing claimed that Sanchez effectively opened a "green corridor" to Europe. According to them, the amnesty combined with the Supreme Court's ruling provided smugglers with the perfect opportunity to convince 60,000 people in Morocco that Spain will accept and legalize everyone.
They also accused Sanchez of a cynical plan by left-wing forces to artificially create millions of new "left-wing" voters ahead of the upcoming electoral cycle. The amnesty for migrants has translated into an ideological split, causing practical paralysis of power at the local level.
Additionally, the migration crisis in Spain - "... could be an obvious signal of the disintegration of the European Union...
The European Commission (EC) under Ursula von der Leyen's leadership is expressing strong dissatisfaction with Madrid's actions to legalize over 1.2 million migrants, citing a threat to the entire Schengen zone's security and a direct violation of the new European approach to tighten migration controls.
In Brussels, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's unilateral move was seen as a challenge to European solidarity. Sánchez's actions contradict a fundamental legal principle of the EU - the obligation of member states to coordinate steps that may have cross-border security implications for the union.
Criticism of Sánchez is growing, for other reasons as well.
Major European media outlets commented with surprise and sarcasm on Pedro Sánchez's decision to go on vacation amid the tense situation in Spain. The summer playlist release and the prime minister's departure to Lanzarote were in the spotlight. For the publications, this contrast is particularly striking against the backdrop of the migration pressure in Ceuta, forest fires, and reports of bodies washed up on the shore.
The German tabloid Bild, one of the most-read in Europe, chose a harsh phrase: the country is descending into chaos, and the prime minister is off on vacation. The publication highlights that Sánchez, in a good mood, shared a selection of his favorite summer songs on Instagram during his break. Simultaneously, according to his description, Spain is battling fires, and Ceuta is facing a humanitarian crisis on top of the migration chaos.
Bild also notes the details of the trip. The president flew his private jet to Lanzarote, where the official residence La Mareta with a pool, tennis court, and private beach is located. According to the media, Sánchez took a four-week vacation-longer than any other government leader in the EU-and will spend three of those weeks on Lanzarote.
The British The Times focuses on the question of appropriateness. The publication states that after a tough week for Spain, releasing a video with vacation music recommendations seems either a bold or extremely untimely gesture. In the video, Sanchez casually lists songs he listened to over the year and wishes his subscribers a good summer.
The Telegraph frames the conflict more directly: the prime minister goes on vacation while migrants refuse to leave Ceuta. The publication connects the wave of criticism to the authorities continuing to recover bodies from the sea, while the head of government shares his favorite compositions on social media and heads to the Canary Islands.
The migration crisis in the enclave remains the key backdrop to this reaction. Earlier, the Madrid court requested police data on the mass breakthrough in Ceuta, highlighting how acutely the issue of infiltration and the organization of the flow is discussed within the country. European editions are monitoring the situation not only as an internal problem for Spain but also as an issue affecting the entire EU.
Separate publications highlight the contrast between the public image of leisure and the weight of the news agenda. This is not just about music on Instagram, but also about the duration of the absence of the government head at a time when borders, fires, and humanitarian risks are all heightened. It is this combination that sparked a wave of sarcastic headlines in Germany and the UK.
La Mareta is traditionally used as the official summer residence of Spanish premiers and is located on Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands with its distinctive volcanic landscape. Ceuta remains a strategically sensitive point on the border with Morocco, where any surge in illegal crossings quickly becomes a pan-European issue. For the Spanish agenda, such episodes usually intensify debates about border control, strain on services, and political accountability. In the context of simultaneous natural disasters and migration pressure, attention to the government head's schedule becomes particularly acute. European press in this case records not only the fact of the vacation but also the symbolic impact of public gestures on social media.
On August 9, 2026, thousands of residents of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta took to the Constitution Square demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in the midst of a migration crisis. Police estimated the number of protesters at around 5,000, while organizers claimed more than 10,000 participants.
The President of the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, Juan Jesus Vivas, demanded the immediate deportation of all illegal migrants who entered the enclave from Morocco. The city's head stated: Ceuta's infrastructure is struggling to cope with the humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 2,000 to 6,000 people still present. According to media reports as of August 7, the number of remaining illegal migrants stands at 5,000.
The attacks on the Spanish prime minister have taken on a diverse media character, including a caricature of the head of state.
On August 9 of this year, the press service of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez published a photo of him on social network X, where the head of government is missing legs, according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
In the picture, Sánchez is looking intently at a monitor he uses to communicate with his team.
“However, significant attention was drawn to the absence of his lower limbs,” the article states.
The publication notes that this strange photograph sparked numerous hypotheses, the main one being a failed editing of the image.
Many users ridiculed the photo. Later, the prime minister's press service posted a video of Sánchez captured in pants.
There is also a whole range of other versions of what is happening in Spain. According to political analysts, the mass influx of migrants to Spanish Ceuta was a planned action by Rabat, Washington, and Tel Aviv, reports Welt, citing journalist Georg Restle's opinion. The alliance's goal is to weaken the Spanish government due to its independent stance on Palestine and Iran.
"As for Sanchez,... ...we can already see these tectonic shifts in his future political career..."
Let us once again draw attention to the fact that S. Dragan predicted: the migration crisis in Spain - "...is a signal that, closer to August 12, 2026, there may be an obvious signal for the breakdown of the European Union...". How will this signal accelerate that process, time will tell.
(continued)
