Thousands of supporters of the Spanish Socialist Party gathered on Saturday to ask Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez not to resign, less than 48 hours before the expected announcement of his decision, reports AFP, quoted by Agerpres.
Arriving in front of the headquarters of the organization in Madrid, where its leaders were meeting, they chanted slogans such as “Pedro, president”. The supporters carried placards that read “Spain needs you”, “Pedro, don’t give up”, in support of the socialist leader who has suspended his activities until this announcement.
The 52-year-old Socialist, in power since 2018, surprised Spain by announcing on Wednesday that he was suspending public duties “for a few days” to decide whether to remain in charge of the government after a court launched an inquiry preliminary for corruption on the private affairs of his wife, Begona Gomez, following the complaint of an association close to the extreme right.
“I need to take a break and think” to decide “if I should continue to be at the head of the government”, justified Pedro Sanchez, in a four-page letter published on social networks, without even informing the closest ministers, some of them said.
Sanchez, who last year won a new mandate as prime minister at the head of a minority coalition government, said he would announce his decision on Monday, April 29.
His announcement comes after a Spanish court also announced on Wednesday that it was launching a preliminary investigation into influence peddling and corruption into Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez.
The court investigating Begona Gomez did not provide additional details, as the file is secret in the early stages, only stating that it is a complaint by the anti-corruption group Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), whose leader has links to the extreme right.
