Mass Demonstration Rocks Madrid as Pressure Mounts on Sánchez
Tens of thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Madrid on Sunday in a massive anti-government demonstration demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The rally, organised by Spain's conservative People's party (PP), represents the most significant public challenge yet to Sánchez's leadership amid mounting corruption allegations.
Political Crisis Deepens Amid Corruption Claims
The protest occurred at the Temple of Debod in central Madrid, with organisers and authorities providing conflicting attendance figures. The PP claimed 80,000 people participated, while the central government's regional delegate estimated the crowd at approximately half that number. Demonstrators waved Spanish flags and carried placards bearing the event's provocative slogan: "This is it: mafia or democracy?"
The timing of Sunday's protest proved particularly damaging for Sánchez's administration, coming just three days after one of his closest former allies, ex-transport minister José Luis Ábalos, was remanded in custody. A judge is investigating Ábalos's alleged involvement in a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme related to public contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conservative Leaders Launch Scathing Attacks
PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo delivered a blistering speech condemning the current legislature as "absurd" and declaring it unsustainable. He directly linked Ábalos's detention to what he termed "sanchismo" - Sánchez's distinctive political style - describing it as fundamentally corrupt.
"Sanchismo is political, economic, institutional, social and moral corruption," Feijóo told the assembled crowd. "Sanchismo is in prison and it needs to get out of government."
The rhetoric intensified with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the populist PP president of the Madrid region, invoking the spectre of the defunct Basque terror group Eta in her characteristically fiery address. Despite Eta abandoning its armed struggle in 2011 and formally dissolving seven years ago, Ayuso claimed: "Eta is preparing its assault on the Basque Country and on Navarra while it props up Pedro Sánchez."
Government Pushes Back Against Criticism
Spain's minister for the presidency and justice, Felix Bolaños, countered the opposition's narrative, asserting that the PP and far-right Vox party were essentially indistinguishable in their tactics. He accused them of competing to see "who can say the most outrageous things about the prime minister."
The political turmoil represents a significant challenge for Sánchez, who originally came to power in 2018 after using a vote of no-confidence to topple the corruption-mired government of one of Feijóo's predecessors. Despite the proliferation of graft allegations concerning his inner circle and recent judicial setbacks, the prime minister has vowed to continue governing.
The crisis deepened earlier last week when Sánchez's attorney general, Álvaro García Ortiz, resigned after being found guilty by the supreme court of leaking confidential information about the tax case involving Ayuso's boyfriend. This conviction has further fuelled debates about the politicisation of Spain's judiciary.
Meanwhile, investigations continue into corruption allegations involving both Sánchez's wife and his brother. The prime minister has dismissed these claims as politically motivated smears, but the political damage appears to be mounting.
In June, Sánchez took decisive action by ordering his right-hand man, Santos Cerdán, to resign as the socialist party's organisational secretary. This followed a supreme court judge finding "firm evidence" of Cerdán's possible involvement in taking kickbacks on public contracts for sanitary equipment during the pandemic. Both Ábalos and his aide, Koldo García, face similar accusations related to the same illegal enterprise.
All three men - Cerdán, Ábalos and García - vehemently deny any wrongdoing and maintain their innocence. As Spain's political crisis deepens, the Madrid demonstration signals growing public impatience with the ongoing corruption allegations threatening to paralyse Sánchez's government.
