Spain’s PM refuses to step down and announces anti-graft plan despite corruption inquiries

MADRID (AP) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he would not step down from office despite mounting corruption cases involving his Socialist Party, and instead, presented anti-corruption measures that immediately received a lukewarm response even from some left-wing allies.

Speaking in parliament Wednesday at an extraordinary session about a corruption case involving a former Socialist official, the Spanish leader took responsibility for his poor judgement but repeatedly said he would not step down, calling himself “an honest politician” with “the pride of leading an exemplary party.”

“I will not throw in the towel,” Sánchez repeated.

The left-wing Spanish leader spoke about a week after a Supreme Court judge ordered the pretrial detention of Santos Cerdán, a former aide to the prime minister and previously the third-most senior member of the Socialist Party, over allegations that he received kickbacks for public works contracts.

A former Sánchez minister is also ensnared in the corruption investigation involving Cerdán, who has denied the allegations. Facing separate corruption or misconduct probes are the prime minister’s former attorney general, brother and wife, all of whom have denied wrongdoing. Sánchez himself has not been accused in any of the cases.

Over the weekend, an official that Sánchez had just promoted as part of his Socialist Party’s shake-up resigned over sexual misconduct allegations.

On Wednesday, Sánchez presented 15 anti-corruption measures, which included bringing more transparency to political and public financing and working with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to crack down on graft.

The move immediately drew ridicule from opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the conservative People’s Party, who urged Sánchez to take responsibility for his party’s actions, report what he knew and call early elections.

“It’s not that it’s the only decent way out,” Feijóo said, “but you have no alternative.”

The Spanish leader has been in power since 2018 and leads a minority coalition government with leftwing allies. His government has been unable to pass legislation and in recent weeks, its future has looked increasingly uncertain amid the corruption probes.

Leaders from far-left and nationalist parties allied with Sánchez’s Socialists have so far not supported the opposition’s calls for early elections. On Wednesday, some leaders left the door open, however, to letting voters decide on the government’s future if the corruption inquiries escalated.