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Free Malaysia Today
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Tens of thousands join anti-government protest in Madrid
The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended today's rally in Madrid. (EPA Images pic) MADRID : Tens of thousands of people rallied today in an opposition-organised demonstration in Madrid accusing the government of prime minister Pedro Sanchez of corruption. Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the centre of the Spanish capital, and chanted 'Pedro Sanchez, resign!' The Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother, and his former right-hand man. Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez's Socialist party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of 'mafia practices' over the affair, and said Sanchez is 'at the centre' of multiple corruption scandals. 'This government has stained everything – politics, state institutions, the separation of powers,' he told the rally, going on to urge Sanchez to call early elections. The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan 'Mafia or Democracy'. The central government's representative in Madrid put the turnout between 45,000 and 50,000. 'The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It's getting tiring,' Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager who wore a Spanish flag draped over her back, told AFP at the rally. Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle as part of a 'smear campaign' carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. He came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandal affecting involving the conservative party. Recent polls show the PP holding only a slim lead over the Socialists. The next general election is expected in 2027.
Al Jazeera
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Mass demonstration calls for Spain's leader to resign over corruption
Tens of thousands of people have taken part in an opposition-organised demonstration in Spain's capital, Madrid, accusing the government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of corruption and urging him to call early elections. Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed on Sunday in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the centre of Madrid, and chanted, 'Pedro Sanchez, resign!' The conservative Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist Workers' Party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated corruption allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother, and his former transport minister and right-hand man Jose Luis Abalos. Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez's party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of 'mafia practices' over the affair and said Sanchez is 'at the centre' of multiple corruption scandals. Sanchez and his government have been embroiled in numerous scandals with perhaps the most significant being the 'Koldo Case', or 'Masks Case', which concerns corruption allegations in the awarding of public contracts for medical supplies, particularly masks, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case involves Abalos and his former adviser Koldo Garcia Izaguirre, the latter of whom is accused of using his influence to secure contracts for certain companies and receiving substantial commissions in return. Sanchez considered stepping down in April 2024 after a Madrid court opened an investigation into his wife, Begona Gomez, on suspicion of influence peddling and business corruption. The right-wing organisation Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) initially made the allegations against Gomez, who is accused of using her position to influence the awarding of government contracts and of irregularities in her professional activities. Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle and family as part of a 'smear campaign' carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. But Feijoo urged Sanchez to call early elections and told the rally: 'This government has stained everything – politics, state institutions, the separation of powers.' The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan 'Mafia or Democracy', while the central government's representative in Madrid put the turnout at 45,000 to 50,000. 'The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It's getting tiring,' protester Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager who wore a Spanish flag draped over her back, told the AFP news agency. Sanchez came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandal involving the conservative party. Recent polls indicated the PP holds a slim lead in support over the Socialists. Spain's next general election is expected in 2027.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tens of thousands join anti-government protest in Madrid
Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday in an opposition-organised demonstration in Madrid accusing the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of corruption. Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the centre of the Spanish capital, and chanted "Pedro Sanchez, resign!". "The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It's getting tiring," Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager who wore a Spanish flag drapped over her back, told AFP at the demonstration. The Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother and his former right-hand man. Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez's Socialist party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of "mafia practices" over the affair, and said Sanchez is "at the centre" of multiple corruption scandals. "This government has stained everything -- politics, state institutions, the separation of powers," he told the rally, going on to urge Sanchez to call early elections. The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan "Mafia or Democracy." The central government's representative in Madrid put the turnout between 45,000 and 50,000. - 'Go away' - The government's spokeswoman, Pilar Alegria, mocked the turnout, writing on X that veteran Spanish rock duo Estopa drew a larger crowd to their recent concert at Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium than "the apocalyptic Feijoo at the Plaza de Espana." Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle as part of a "smear campaign" carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. He came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandals affecting involving the conservative party. Rafael Redondo, a 73-year-old real estate agent, said the corruption cases that have affected the PP were "completely different". "The corruption that may have existed in the PP involved individuals acting on their own. But the Socialist Party is a criminal organisation which has committed crimes from A to Z," he told AFP at the rally. Maria del Mar Tome, a 59-year-old businesswoman, said she had turned up because "we want Pedro Sanchez to go away once and for all, because this man is corrupt, he's a liar." - Poll lead - This is the sixth protest which the PP has organised against the government since Feijoo took the helm of the party in April 2022 The demonstration comes as the PP is gearing up for an extraordinary party congress set for July. Originally set for 2026, Feijoo moved the event forward, citing the need for the party to "be prepared" in case of early national elections in what was seen as an effort to consolidate his power. Rajoy and another former PP prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, attended Sunday's rally, along with several heads of regional governments. Recent polls show the PP holding only a slim lead over the Socialists. although Sanchez remains the most highly rated party leader among voters. One in four voters, 24.6 percent, said Sanchez is their favourite party leader to lead the country, ahead of the leader of far-right party Vox, Santiago Abascal, who was picked by 17.1 percent, according to a poll published Monday in daily newspaper El Pais. Feijoo was the third most popular option, with 16.6 percent. The next general election is expected in 2027. vid-ds/cw
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Tens of thousands join anti-government protest in Madrid
Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday in an opposition-organised demonstration in Madrid accusing the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of corruption. Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the centre of the Spanish capital, and chanted 'Perdo Sanchez, resign!'. The Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother, and his former right-hand man. Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez's Socialist party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of 'mafia practices' over the affair, and said Sanchez is 'at the centre' of multiple corruption scandals. "This government has stained everything -- politics, state institutions, the separation of powers," he told the rally, going on to urge Sanchez to call early elections. The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan "Mafia or Democracy." The central government's representative in Madrid put the turnout between 45,000 and 50,000. "The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It's getting tiring," Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager who wore a Spanish flag drapped over her back, told AFP at the rally. Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle as part of a "smear campaign" carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. He came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandal affecting involving the conservative party. Recent polls show the PP holding only a slim lead over the Socialists. The next general election is expected in 2027.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Tens of thousands join anti-government protest in Madrid
Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday in an opposition-organized demonstration in Madrid accusing the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of corruption. Protesters, many waving red and yellow Spanish flags, massed in the Plaza de Espana, a large square in the center of the Spanish capital, and chanted 'Pedro Sanchez, resign!'. The Popular Party (PP) called the rally after leaked audio recordings allegedly documented a member of the Socialist party, Leire Diez, waging a smear campaign against a police unit that investigated graft allegations against Sanchez's wife, brother, and his former right-hand man. Diez has denied the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that she was conducting research for a book and was not working on behalf of the party or Sanchez. She also resigned from Sanchez's Socialist party. PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo has accused the government of 'mafia practices' over the affair, and said Sanchez is 'at the center' of multiple corruption scandals. 'This government has stained everything – politics, state institutions, the separation of powers,' he told the rally, going on to urge Sanchez to call early elections. The PP estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally, held under the slogan 'Mafia or Democracy.' The central government's representative in Madrid put the turnout between 45,000 and 50,000. 'The expiry date on this government passed a long time ago. It's getting tiring,' Blanca Requejo, a 46-year-old store manager who wore a Spanish flag draped over her back, told AFP at the rally. Sanchez has dismissed the probes against members of his inner circle as part of a 'smear campaign' carried out by the right wing to undermine his government. He came to power in June 2018 after ousting his PP predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a no-confidence vote over a corruption scandal affecting involving the conservative party. Recent polls show the PP holding only a slim lead over the Socialists. The next general election is expected in 2027.
