Tens of thousands of people gathered in Madrid, Spain‘s capital, on Sunday, June 8, 2025, to demand Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s resignation over corruption allegations. The protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed in the Plaza de Espana, chanting “Pedro Sanchez, resign!” The conservative Popular Party (PP) organized the rally, accusing the government of “mafia practices” and citing multiple corruption scandals.
The controversy began with leaked audio recordings allegedly documenting a member of the Socialist Workers’ Party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit investigating corruption allegations against Sanchez’s wife, brother, and former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos. Diez denied the allegations, claiming she was researching a book and not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She subsequently resigned from Sanchez’s party.
PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo urged Sanchez to call early elections, stating, “This government has stained everything – politics, state institutions, the separation of powers.” The party estimated over 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan “Mafia or Democracy,” while the central government’s representative in Madrid put the turnout at 45,000 to 50,000.
Protester Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager, expressed her frustration, saying, “The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It’s getting tiring.” Sanchez’s government has faced numerous scandals, including the “Koldo Case,” which involves corruption allegations in the awarding of public contracts for medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sanchez has dismissed the probes as part of a “smear campaign” carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. However, recent polls indicate the PP holds a slim lead in support over the Socialists. Spain’s next general election is expected in 2027.
In a related context, Sanchez has also accused US billionaire Elon Musk of inciting hatred and warning against fascism in Europe. According to Sanchez, Musk is heading an “international reactionary movement” that “openly attacks our institutions, stirs up hatred and openly calls for the support of the heirs of Nazism in Germany’s upcoming elections”. Sanchez warned that “autocratic regimes are advancing halfway around the world” and that “the fascism we thought we had left behind is now the third political force in Europe”.