Thousands march in Madrid demanding Spanish PM quit over graft allegations 

Thousands of people have marched through the Spanish capital, demanding Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s resignation after a series of corruption scandals within his entourage.

Demonstrators, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags and holding signs saying “Enough!”, marched through the streets of Madrid on Saturday behind a large banner that read: “Corruption has a price. No more impunity. Resignation and elections now.”

The protest was called by a group of more than 150 civic associations called Sociedad Civil Espanola and backed by the mainstream conservative Popular Party (PP) and far-right Vox.

Organisers put attendance at 120,000. The central government’s delegate to the region estimated 40,000 people had participated in the march, which ended in Plaza Moncloa near Sanchez’s official residence.

After the march ended, a small group of demonstrators tried to head towards the residence but were pushed back by riot police in an otherwise largely peaceful rally, images on Spanish TV showed.

Three people were arrested and seven police officers suffered minor injuries, according to the central government’s delegate.

“There is no one left in Pedro Sanchez’s circle who has not been accused of very serious crimes. Spain is being held hostage by a corrupt mafia,” far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal told reporters before the start of the march.

Sanchez, who came to power in 2018 after using a vote of no confidence to topple the corruption-mired conservative PP government, has pledged to carry on, despite the proliferation of corruption allegations concerning his entourage.

His brother, David, is scheduled to stand trial for influence peddling.

His wife, Begona Gomez, is under investigation in a separate corruption case. Sanchez briefly considered resigning in April 2024 after the case was opened.

Begona denies any wrongdoing, and a Spanish prosecutor last month asked the investigating judge to close the case, which was brought by far-right groups.

Sanchez has dismissed these cases against his family as politically motivated.

His former right-hand man, ex-Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos, is awaiting a verdict in his own corruption trial, which ended earlier this month.

On Tuesday, a court put former Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a Sanchez ally, under formal investigation for influence peddling and other crimes, adding to the pressure on the government. Zapatero denied any wrongdoing.