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Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
MADRID – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ruled out resignation on Wednesday, unveiling a sweeping anti-graft strategy as his Socialist party faces mounting scrutiny over corruption allegations.
"I am a clean politician, I am not going to throw in the towel," Sánchez told lawmakers at the beginning of the parliamentary debate to report on the corruption cases engulfing his party.
The corruption scandals involve alleged bribery, tender rigging, and influence peddling by senior PSOE officials. Prosecutors are also investigating whether EU funds were misallocated in the illicit awarding of public contracts involving the PSOE leadership.
In response, Sánchez presented a new anti-corruption plan featuring a raft of measures: the creation of an Independent public integrity agency, tighter controls on the management of EU funds, stronger whistleblower protections, stricter rules on political financing, and mandatory compliance protocols for companies contracting with the state.
The plan was developed in coordination with the OECD and incorporates recommendations from the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO), and the Commission's rule of law report
Tough times in parliament
Sánchez's announcement caused quite a stir in the Spanish parliament, where the scandals have dominated political discourse for weeks.
Yolanda Díaz, head of the left-wing coalition partner Sumar, praised Sánchez's stance but urged the PSOE to accelerate social reforms, such as the long-delayed Right to Housing Act, which aims to curb property speculation by hedge funds.
The Catalan separatist parties supporting the government coalition were less conciliatory. Catalan separatist party Junts, led by now-exiled Carles Puigdemont, warned that "time is ticking" and predicted that the government might not survive until 2027.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Rufián of the separatist Republican Left of Catalonia threatened to pull support if investigations revealed that corruption extended beyond the party’s organisational secretariat, currently the focus of one of the Spanish law enforcement agencies, the Guardia Civil.
Opposition centre-right leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demanded accountability for Sánchez’s “personal appointments” of figures under investigation, such as former Minister of Transport José Luis Ábalos and former PSOE Secretary of Organisation Santos Cerdán.
Further right, populist Vox leader Santiago Abascal accused the government of “buying power through political favours” and mocked Sánchez for "having the balls" to present an anti-corruption plan, prompting a formal rebuke for inappropriate language.
Sánchez nevertheless defended his record, arguing that his administration has been, together with that of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the cleanest in Spain’s democratic history.
(cs, mm)
