Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is considering resigning over corruption allegations against his wife. According to experts, the evidence is fabricated, writes reporter Maija Salmi.
Maija Salmi editor
Spain was shaken on Wednesday by a news bomb when the prime minister Pedro Sánchez published by message service in X for a letterin which he announced that he was considering resigning from his position.
For a personal touch in the written letter, the leftist Sánchez said that he was withdrawing for four days to think about his future as the leader of Spain. The reason is his wife to Begoña Gómez related corruption allegations made by the far-right organization Manos Limpias.
The organization is well-known especially about the harassment of left-wing influencers in Spain. According to the complaint filed by it, Sánchez’s spouse Gómez would have influenced the state aid and funding of billions of euros paid to the Air Europa airline and its owner, the travel and transport company Globalia, during the pandemic.
Today is Thursday The public prosecutor’s office in Madrid stated that there are apparently no grounds for the charges.
Experts: the accusations are fabricated
The organization used, among other things, numerous online magazines as justification for the seven-page complaint. Later, the organization admitted that “not all the information mentioned in the complaint is necessarily true”.
Also Spain’s largest daily newspaperi El País wrote in its editorial that there is not a single convincing evidence of Gómez’s guilt. According to the newspaper, the sources used in the complaint are deliberately misleading.
As an example, El País uses a story about subsidies paid to a Cantabrian entrepreneur. The entrepreneur’s name happens to be Begoña Gómez, like the Prime Minister’s spouse. However, in the complaint, the Cantabrian entrepreneur has changed to the prime minister’s spouse.
Sánchez’s announcement surprised even the party leadership
According to the Spanish media, Sánchez’s announcement of a possible withdrawal came as a surprise to the rest of the party leadership as well.
Sánchez, who has led Spain since 2018, is known for his tenacity, but now the prime minister’s limit has come. In his open letter, Sánchez states that it is a car chase aimed at his inner circle. According to him, the right and the extreme right are waging a hate campaign against the government.
Main opposition party Partido Popular manager Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused Sánchez of victimization and dereliction of duty.
In the background, the issue of the amnesty law
The Partido Popular and the far-right Vox have been trying to undermine the position of the socialist government that has been in power since 2018 for a long time.
The period of the socialist government was interrupted last summer, when early parliamentary elections were held in Spain.
The right-wing Partido Popular narrowly won the July elections, but did not get the number of seats needed to form a government.
Sánchez retained his position as Prime Minister of Spain with the support of the Catalan and Basque nationalist parties. In return, Sánchez promised a law that pardons Catalan leaders and activists involved in the Catalan independence project.
The right has opposed the amnesty law from the beginning. According to it, pardoning those involved in Catalonia’s independence efforts would endanger the rule of law. At the same time, however, the right-wing opposition does not allow the country’s legal system to be reformed, even though the law requires it.
The European Commission has expressed its concern about the Spanish legal system
In Spain, the judges of the Supreme Court are chosen by the Council of Judges, whose members are appointed by the right-wing party Partido Popular, which was in power before the current socialist government.
The Partido Popular has not agreed to reform the judiciary with a conservative majority, despite calls from the EU. The European Commission is numerous the narrator expressed concern about the independence of the Spanish legal system.
Sánchez will announce the extension on Monday
In Spain, Sánchez’s withdrawal announcement has fueled debate about using the legal system to achieve political goals.
Loan throwing campaigns have also become more common. The result is an even more divided Spain and a political culture that has become extremely toxic.
It also weakens Spain’s ability to combat the country’s real challenges, such as the effects of climate change and the lack of affordable housing.
Prime Minister Sánchez will announce his decision to continue leading the country on Monday. A vote of confidence or new elections are also on the table. Currently, Sánchez’s supporters are putting together an address and are preparing a large demonstration to Madrid to support the prime minister.