Politics Tens of thousands in Spain demand the resignation of the government
Tens of thousands have protested against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Spain. The participants in the demonstration in Madrid accused the left-wing government of corruption and demanded the resignation of the head of government and new elections. The protest was called by the conservative People's Party (PP) of opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
30.11.2025, 17:39
SDA
The rally took place on the esplanade in front of the Debod temple in the city center under the slogan "Mafia or democracy?". Many carried Spanish flags and placards with slogans such as "Resign now!" and "Sánchez go away!". The PP spoke of around 80,000 participants. However, the Ministry of the Interior estimated the number at around half that. The last similarly large rally against Sánchez took place in Madrid in June.
The new protest was triggered by the pre-trial detention of Sánchez's former transport minister, José Luis Ábalos, which was only announced on Thursday. His former advisor Koldo García has also been remanded in custody. The indictment accuses both of corruption in connection with the purchase of protective masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
Left-wing minority government under increasing pressure
The Supreme Court's decision was a further setback for the minority government of the socialist Sánchez, which is also under pressure due to other corruption scandals. In principle, the next general election in Spain would not have to take place until the second half of 2027.
However, the opposition is increasingly calling for an earlier vote. "The whole of Spain is fed up with corruption. (...) Enough of so much decay and so much nonsense," shouted Feijóo 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," he demanded.
However, even his party is not free from accusations of corruption, criticism and scandals. For example, the president of the Autonomous Community of Valencia, PP politician Carlos Mazón, announced his resignation after much criticism of his crisis management during the so-called storm of the century with more than 200 deaths in autumn 2024 in the region, which is popular with holidaymakers.
