Pedro Sanchez decided not to resign. Tens of thousands of Spaniards asked him, in the streets, not to leave the position of prime minister

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Monday that he is not resigning from his position, a few days after declaring that he is thinking of retiring from the head of the Executive, in the context of corruption allegations against his wife Begona Gomez.

Update 12.40: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday that, after a period of reflection on his future, he has decided to continue as head of the Spanish Executive.

Sanchez said he informed King Felipe VI of his decision, Reuters reports.

“This smear campaign will not stop (…). The important thing is that we want to thank you for the expressions of solidarity received from all sides. Thanks to this mobilization, I decided to continue leading the presidency” of the Government, announced Pedro Sanchez in a press conference.

His decision to continue caps a week in which Spanish politics have been troubled by the prospect of facing another parliamentary vote to elect a new prime minister or even holding a new round of general elections, the fourth in five years.

Initial news

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will announce today whether he intends to stay or resign, a few days after he said he was considering resigning, Reuters reports.

Supporters in Spain’s Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) urged Sanchez to stay after he said last week he was stepping down for a few days to decide his future and would announce his decision on Monday.

He spoke on the same day a court launched a corruption investigation into his wife’s private affairs. Sanchez denies the allegations against his wife, Begona Gomez, which he called part of a sustained smear campaign against him and his wife by political opponents.

For now, the time when Sanchez will make his decision known, on Monday, has not been specified. He could resign, he could continue as prime minister, or he could submit to a vote of confidence in parliament and resign only if he loses the vote. Another option would be to call early elections on July 21, the first possible date according to the Constitution.

Thousands of supporters rallied in Madrid over the weekend, calling on Sanchez to stay in office.

The 52-year-old prime minister first came to power in 2018 and secured a new mandate for the Socialists last year as leader of a minority coalition government.

The opposition parties condemned Sanchez’s gesture. “Spain does not have a problem, the one who has a judicial problem is Sanchez, it is his government, it is his party and it is his circle. Let them solve it,” Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the leader of the conservative People’s Party, said on Saturday. during a meeting in the city of Tarragona.

Publisher: GM

Download the Digi24 app and find out the most important news of the day