bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid on Sunday to protest against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, accusing his left-wing government of corruption and demanding his resignation and early elections.
The demonstration was organised by the conservative People’s Party (PP) under opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo.
The rally in central Madrid carried the slogan “Mafia or democracy?”
Participants waved Spanish flags and carried signs reading “Resign now!” and “Sanchez, go away!”

The PP estimated the crowd at around 80,000, while the Interior Ministry put the figure closer to 40,000. The last large-scale protest against Sanchez in the capital was in June.
Sunday’s demonstration was sparked by a Supreme Court decision earlier this week ordering the pre-trial detention of Sanchez’s former transport minister, Jose Luis Abalos and the minister’s ex-adviser Koldo Garcia.
Both are accused of corruption over the purchase of protective masks during the coronavirus pandemic and were considered flight risks by the court.
Sanchez’s minority socialist government has faced increasing pressure from multiple corruption scandals. Sanchez, in office since 2018, has repeatedly apologised publicly for the legal issues surrounding him.
While the next parliamentary elections are not expected until late 2027, the opposition is calling for an early vote.
“The whole of Spain is fed up with corruption ... Enough of so much decay and so much nonsense,” Feijoo shouted to the cheers of the crowd. “Let them finally go - let them go and call new elections so that the citizens can speak, vote and decide.”
However, Feijoo’s PP opposition is not without controversies either.
Carlos Mazon, president of the Valencia regional government, recently resigned after criticism of his handling of floods in late October 2024 that killed more than 200 people. Authorities were criticised for delayed warnings and slow evacuations.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


Suspected swine fever cases rise as Spain struggles to limit damage to exports

Mass rally in Spain demands Sanchez resign over corruption cases

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

Spain stops pork exports to China after African swine flu cases, first in 30 years

Spain

People at demonstration in Madrid on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Spain’s opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo speaks during the demonstration. Photo: Reuters

Israel’s Netanyahu seeks presidential pardon in corruption cases

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: AFP

People  protest outside Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s house in Tel Aviv. Photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on October 13. Photo: AFP

Billions of animals, including pigs, are reared and eaten around the world each year. Photo: Reuters

A Chinese buyer looks at Iberian ham hanging from a ceiling at a factory in the Spanish town of Jabugo. File photo: AFP

Xi Jinping vows to boost imports from Spain and deepen ties in talks with King Felipe

Spain’s King Felipe and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Xi Jinping and King Felipe hold talks in the Chinese capital on Wednesday. Photo: AP

King Felipe addresses the Spain-China Business Forum on Tuesday. Photo: via Reuters

Spanish PM’s wife Begoña Gómez faces trial amid political turmoil, corruption claims

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (left) holds hands with his wife Begoña Gómez at a political event in December. Photo: AFP

Protesters outside a court in Madrid hold a banner reading “corrupt” as Spanish Prime Minister’s wife Begoña Gómez is summoned for a hearing before a judge over accusations of embezzling public funds. Photo: AFP

Spain’s ruling party bans members from paying for sex after corruption scandal

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a ruling party meeting in Madrid on July 5. Photo: EPA/PSOE

News

World

Europe

Tens of thousands protest in central Madrid as Spain’s opposition leader calls for snap elections


Tens of thousands protest in central Madrid as Spain’s opposition leader calls for snap elections.


Protests around the world

European Union

People’s Party

US Supreme Court