An opposition-led protest against government corruption in drew tens of thousands of people on Sunday.
Officials put the number of people at the “Mafia or Democracy” rally in at up to 50,000, while the city’s right-wing mayor spoke of 100,000 people.
Plaza de Espana, a large square in the center of the Spanish capital, was crowded with demonstrators, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags.
Opposition accuses Sanchez of running ‘mafia’ government
Mayor Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida told protesters that Spain’s opposition People’s Party (PP) wants to “drive out the mafia as quickly as possible and restore our democracy,” in a reference to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s left-wing government.
Many of the protesters chanted, “Pedro Sanchez, resign!” in reaction to a leaked audio recording allegedly showing political activist Leire Diez, at the time member of the Socialist PSOE party, waging a smear campaign against a police unit.
The police unit had investigated graft allegations against Sanchez’s wife, brother and his former right-hand man.
Diez has denied the allegations, insisting that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of Sanchez or PSOE. She has since quit the party.
The Diez scandal is one of several graft investigations circling Sanchez and his allies. Others include alleged donations to lawmakers close to the PSOE linked to a tax fraud case.
PP’s Feijoo demands early election
Having accused the government of “mafia practices” over the affair, PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo told protesters Sunday that the PSOE had “stained everything — politics, state institutions, the separation of powers,” before demanding a snap election. The next vote is due in 2027.
But Feijoo has already moved his party’s congress forward by a year to this July, citing the need to be prepared for possible early polls.
The opposition leader is yet to put forward a motion of censure against Sanchez’s minority government. To do this, he would need the support of regional parties, who are wary of joining forces with the right-wing populist Vox party.
Sunday’s was the sixth that the PP has arranged since Feijoo became party leader in April 2022. Former prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Jose Maria Aznar were also in attendance.
Sanchez says graft probes are a ‘smear campaign’
A Spanish government spokeswoman mocked Sunday’s turnout, noting on X that a veteran Spanish rock duo had recently pulled a bigger crowd in Madrid than the “apocalyptic Feijoo.”
Sanchez, meanwhile, has dismissed the investigations against members of his inner circle as part of a right-wing “smear campaign.”
The PP currently holds a slim lead over PSOE, according to recent polls, although Sanchez has the highest approval rating among all party leaders.
During its time in office in the past decade, the PP was also accused of corruption, involving illegal party funding, abuse of office, bribery and cover-ups.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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