Thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Madrid on Saturday, calling for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to resign as corruption allegations engulf several members of his inner circle. Waving red and yellow Spanish flags and holding signs reading “Enough!”, demonstrators marched behind a banner declaring: “Corruption has a price. No more impunity. Resignation and elections now.”
The rally was organised by Sociedad Civil Española, a coalition of more than 150 civic groups, and backed by the conservative Popular Party (PP) and far‑right Vox. Organisers claimed around 80,000 people attended, while the central government’s regional delegate estimated the crowd at roughly half that number. The march concluded at Plaza Moncloa, near Sánchez’s official residence.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal delivered one of the day’s most forceful statements, accusing the prime minister’s circle of being riddled with criminal allegations. “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,” he said.
Sánchez, who rose to power in 2018 after toppling a PP government mired in corruption, is now facing a wave of scandals involving those closest to him. His brother, David Sánchez, is set to stand trial for influence peddling, while his wife, Begoña Gómez, is under investigation in a separate corruption case allegations the prime minister has dismissed as politically motivated.
Adding to the pressure, Sánchez’s former transport minister and longtime ally José Luis Ábalos recently concluded his own corruption trial, with a verdict pending. And on Tuesday, a court placed former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, another Sánchez ally, under formal investigation for influence peddling and other offences.
Despite the mounting scrutiny, Sánchez has vowed to remain in office, insisting the investigations targeting his family and associates are part of a politically driven campaign.
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