Brandishing slogans such as “enough is enough!” and “not another day!” Spain’s conservative opposition Popular Party rallied in Madrid on Sunday to demand Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez resign.
The rally came days after Sanchez’s government suffered two setbacks in quick succession: the conviction of Spain’s Sanchez-backed attorney general over a judicial secrecy violation, and the pre-trial detention of the premier’s former right-hand man and minister, Jose Luis Abalos, in a corruption case.
“Spain has had enough of those who think they’re above everyone else,” said PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, urging early parliamentary elections.
Sanchez is additionally grappling with ongoing legal cases involving, among others, his wife and brother, in separate files.
Madrid’s PP mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida and former PP Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also addressed the rally, which drew some 40,000 people according to the Madrid prefecture.
“The situation (in Spain) has become untenable,” complained one attendee Daniel Noguera, an 18-year-old student, pointing to “prices which go up constantly” while adding that finding a place to live was becoming ever harder.
Sanchez, in office since 2018, has repeatedly apologised publicly for the legal issues surrounding him but has vowed not to stand down before the end of the current parliamentary term in 2027.
He has denounced attacks orchestrated by the right and the far right which he says are aimed at weakening him.
