In an outpouring of political discontent, thousands of opposition protesters took to the streets of Madrid on Sunday, demanding early elections amid accusations of corruption against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). These demonstrations were spearheaded by Spain’s main opposition party, Partido Popular (PP), after leaked audio recordings suggested a PSOE-led campaign to undermine the credibility of the Central Operative Unit (UCO), a division of the Civil Guard responsible for investigating and prosecuting severe crimes. The opposition claims this alludes to attempts to impede ongoing corruption probes concerning members of Sanchez’s inner circle, including his wife.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Partido Popular, addressed the crowd, underscoring the need to uphold Spain’s democratic integrity and denouncing what he described as the government’s “mafia practices.” In an apparent attempt at damage control, Spanish Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports Pilar Alegría took to social media to ridicule the demonstration’s turnout, claiming it was smaller than a recent concert by Spanish rock duo Estopa in the same city. Despite her remarks, protest organizers reported attendance numbers exceeding 100,000.
The Partido Popular has further intensified political pressure by initiating parliamentary hearings in the Senate against several prominent PSOE ministers, including Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Civil Guard Director Mercedes González. The PP alleges that the government is orchestrating a “dirty war” against the UCO unit, which has been a thorn in the side of Sanchez’s administration since he assumed office in 2018 after the ouster of his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, amid corruption allegations against the then-ruling PP.
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