Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez says he will not resign

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez announcedthat he will not resign. In a televised speech, he said he would continue to serve as head of government “with even greater diligence.” He called the accusations of corruption against his wife a campaign to smear his family, which has been going on for 10 years and, in his opinion, will not stop in the future.

The question of Sanchez’s possible resignation arose on April 24, when the Spanish court reported, which begins a preliminary examination of the lawsuit against the wife of the Prime Minister, Begona Gomez. She is accused of corruption and of using her position to lobby private interests. The lawsuit against Gomez was filed by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a group dedicated to exposing corruption schemes. Its leader is believed to have ties to far-right politicians. Manos Limpias alleges that Gomez used her status as First Lady to attract sponsorship for the master’s program where she teaches a course. Gomez did not comment on the accusations.

That same day, Sanchez announced that he was suspending his public activities to consider whether he would remain in office. He promised to announce his decision on Monday.

After Sanchez’s statement in Spain passed numerous rallies in his support. Supporters of the prime minister and his Socialist Party demanded that the prime minister remain in office.