MADRID: Thousands of protesters gathered in central Madrid on Sunday to demand the resignation of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and call for early elections, in a rally backed by right-wing parties.
The demonstration, held in the Plaza de Castilla, saw crowds waving Spanish flags and chanting slogans such as “traitor” and “Sanchez is destroying Spain.”
Organized by more than 100 small groups linked to the right and far-right, the protest was staged under the slogan “For unity, dignity, the law, and freedom. General elections now!” It drew support from Spain’s main conservative opposition, the Popular Party (PP), and the far-right Vox party.
The central government’s office in Madrid estimated the turnout at around 25,000 people, while organizers claimed a significantly higher figure of 400,000 attendees.
Protesters expressed outrage over a series of government policies, including Sanchez’s controversial amnesty for Catalan independence campaigners and alliances with regional separatist parties. Demonstrators also criticized corruption scandals involving Socialist party figures, including Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez.
Placards reading “Get lost Sanchez” and “Sanchez is destroying Spain” were prominent in the crowd, along with slogans opposing immigration. The rally was a show of unity among right-wing factions that have been increasingly vocal in their opposition to Sanchez’s government.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal, the only major political figure in attendance, took aim at the government’s handling of the economy and its alliances with separatist parties. “This government is ruining Spaniards, has betrayed them, has lied to them,” Abascal told reporters.
“Today Spaniards, whatever the government says, are poorer than when Pedro Sanchez came to power. It is harder for them to make ends meet.”
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Although employment levels in Spain have risen under Sanchez’s leadership, inflation and rent prices have also surged, creating economic pressures for many households.
Sanchez, in office since 2018, leads a minority government that depends on the support of Catalan and Basque separatist parties in parliament to pass legislation. His concessions to these regional factions have infuriated Spain’s political right, fueling demands for his resignation and fresh elections.
