Thousands of people marched through the streets of Madrid on Saturday calling for Socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez to resign over corruption allegations involving figures close to his government.
Demonstrators, many waving red-and-yellow Spanish flags and carrying signs reading “Enough!”, marched through the capital behind a large banner declaring: “Corruption has a price. No more impunity. Resignation and elections now.”
The protest was organised by more than 150 civic associations grouped under the name Sociedad Civil Española and backed by the conservative Popular Party (PP) and sovereigntist VOX.
Organisers claimed that 80,000 people attended the demonstration.
The central government’s representative in the Madrid region estimated turnout at roughly half that figure. The march ended at Plaza de Moncloa, near Sánchez’s official residence.
“There is no one left in Pedro Sánchez’s circle who has not been accused of very serious crimes. Spain is being held hostage by a corrupt mafia,” VOX leader Santiago Abascal told reporters before the march began.
Sánchez, who came to power in 2018 after using a no-confidence vote to topple the corruption-hit PP government, has vowed to remain in office despite mounting allegations involving members of his entourage.
His brother, David Sánchez, is due to stand trial on influence-peddling charges.
His wife, Begoña Gómez, is under investigation in a separate corruption case, which Sánchez has dismissed as politically motivated.
Former transport minister José Luis Ábalos, once one of Sánchez’s closest allies, is also awaiting a verdict in a corruption trial that concluded earlier this month.
On Tuesday, a court placed former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero—an ally of Sánchez—under formal investigation for alleged influence peddling and other offences, increasing pressure on the government.
