Ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ party has faced series of corruption allegations over past year
Tens of thousands of people have gathered in central Madrid to protest against the government of Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, and to demand an early general election as his party, his administration and his family continue to be beset by a succession of corruption allegations.
Sunday’s protest, called by the opposition conservative People’s party (PP) under the slogan “Mafia or democracy”, attracted between 45,000 and 50,000 people, according to the central government’s delegation to the region. Organisers, however, put the attendance at 100,000.
Both Sánchez’s government and his inner circle have faced a series of corruption allegations over the past year. But pressure on his Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) has increased over recent days after a former member of the party was accused of trying to wage a smear campaign against the Guardia Civil police unit investigating the prime minister’s wife, Begoña Gómez, his brother, David Sánchez, and the former transport minister, José Luis Ábalos.
Leire Díaz – who resigned from the PSOE after recordings were leaked in which she appeared to offer judicial leniency in return for compromising information on senior members of the unit – has denied working on behalf of the prime minister or the party, saying she was researching a book on corruption.
