Supporters of conservative Popular Party demand Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez step down amid corruption scandals.
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in an opposition-organised demonstration in Spain’s capital, Madrid, accusing the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of corruption and urging him to call early elections.
Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed on Sunday in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the centre of Madrid, and chanted, “Pedro Sanchez, resign!”
The conservative Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist Workers’ Party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated corruption allegations against Sanchez’s wife, brother, and his former transport minister and right-hand man Jose Luis Abalos.
Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez’s party.
