Mass demonstration calls for Spain’s leader to resign over corruption

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. 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. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of “mafia practices” over the affair and said Sanchez is “at the centre” of multiple corruption scandals. Sanchez considered stepping down in April 2024 after a Madrid court opened an investigation into his wife, Begona Gomez, on suspicion of influence peddling and business corruption. AdvertisementSanchez came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandal involving the conservative party.