On Wednesday, Sanchez published a letter that hit like a bombshell. In that letter he announced that he would resign from all his public positions for five days, and that at the end of those five days, on Monday, he would announce whether he would remain prime minister or resign. He accused ‘right and far right’ of ‘bullying and intimidation’ against himself and especially against his wife.
The letter came after a judge in Madrid ordered an investigation into Begoña Gómez earlier in the day after a complaint had been filed against her for abuse of her position and corruption. The complaint came from the organization Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a trade union with right-wing to extreme right-wing sympathies.
About the author
Michel Maas is foreign editor of de Volkskrant. Previously he was a correspondent in Eastern Europe and South-East Asia.
The socialist Sanchez wrote in his letter that Manos Limpias based his complaint on reports in media that are politically ‘openly right to extreme right’. His political opponents were also in the vicinity of those media, Sanchez wrote. The complaint and the hate campaign are said to come from an ‘extreme right digital universe’ that also includes the opposition and Manos Limpias. The British newspaper The Guardian reports that Manos Limpias has a ‘long history [heeft] of using the courts against people she believes “threaten democracy.”
No evidence whatsoever
The Public Prosecution Service in Madrid has already asked the court to drop the investigation into corruption because no evidence of this has been provided. Manos Limpias now seems not to feel completely sure of its case: it acknowledges that the accusations ‘may be based on incorrect media reports’. If it all turns out to be untrue, the makers of those messages should be held accountable, according to Manos Limpias.
According to the complaint, Gómez allegedly used her position as First Lady to obtain sponsors for a master’s degree. According to the BBC, the investigation should also make clear what her ties are with companies that have received (a lot of) money from the government.
On Saturday, 12 thousand people demonstrated at the Socialist Party office to express their support for Sanchez and his wife. And on Sunday, thousands of people took to the streets again. In Madrid, demonstrators carried signs with slogans such as “Sánchez, keep going” and “Don’t give up.” Environment Minister Teresa Ribera defended Sanchez in an interview. He has had “tough years” as prime minister, she said, and it showed: the current allegations “have taken their toll.”
However, the (right-wing) opposition did not back down. On the contrary: the opposition parties have gone a step further in recent days. The right-wing Vox party, for example, wondered why Sanchez needed five days to think about it and did not immediately resign.
The Prime Minister will provide clarity on Monday.
