On Wednesday, Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez unexpectedly announced that he was considering his resignation. Today thousands of supporters gathered in front of the party headquarters and demonstrated for the politician to stay.
At the rally in front of the socialist PSOE party headquarters in Madrid, people shouted “Pedro, don’t surrender”, “Sure, it’s worth it” or “Stay”, as seen on state TV channel RTVE. More than 10,000 people gathered and waved red party flags and banners. With the demonstration they want to demonstrate their support for the left-wing head of government Pedro Sánchez and convince him to stay in office.
Sánchez unexpectedly announced last Wednesday that he was considering resigning. He cited a corruption complaint against his wife Begoña Gómez as the reason.
He canceled all public appointments and announced a decision for Monday. Until then, he wants to think about whether it’s all still worth it, “despite the quagmire in which the right and right-wing extremists are trying to make politics. Whether I should continue to lead the government or step down from this high honor.”
party members demand Sánchez’s whereabouts
Leading party members called on Sánchez not to resign. “Democracies become regressive when the legitimacy of election results is denied,” warned Sánchez deputy María Jesús Montero. That’s exactly what the right and the extreme right are trying to achieve with a “strategy of mudslinging,” she warned. “Pedro, stay,” Montero demanded.
The complaint against the head of government’s wife was filed by the organization “Manos Limpias” (Clean Hands), which is classified as far right-wing. In recent years she has attracted attention with numerous advertisements in the field of public administration.
The organization accuses Gómez, who does not hold public office, of influence peddling and corruption in the economy. “Manos Limpias” later admitted that the ad was based on media reports that could well be false.