Spain: Pedro Sánchez to Remain in Office Amid Corruption Probe

Facts

• Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced Monday that he will not resign from his position, ending speculation about his future five days after he took time off to "reflect" on whether or not to step down.¹
• Last Wednesday, Sánchez made the stunning decision to take time off after a court initiated preliminary proceedings against his wife on allegations that she used her position to impact business transactions.²
• Trade union Manos Limpias filed a criminal complaint against Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez. The allegations were based on media reports linking Gómez to private companies that received government money.³
• Sánchez has accused Manos Limpias of being connected with Spain's alleged far-right, and he said he would continue to fight against "unfounded" attacks during his Monday announcement. He added in his televised address that he would govern with "more force if possible."⁴
• He met with King Felipe VI just before making his announcement, and he said was influenced by large rallies by supporters over the weekend. Sánchez's potential resignation would have left Spain without a leader ahead of key elections over the next few months.⁵
• The 52-year-old’s minority coalition is Spain's weakest in roughly 90 years, and his Socialist party nearly lost control in last year's election. Spain would've had to hold another election if Sánchez resigned, with no apparent successor in line.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Associated Press, ³Verity, ⁴CNN, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶Yahoo Finance.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by The Guardian. Europe's emerging far-right has established positioning in Spain, and Pedro Sánchez is the latest victim of the right wing’s vicious onslaught against its enemies. Manos Limpias is notoriously linked with far-right causes, and it is looking to take down Sánchez and his wife with allegations that have no merit. In fact, the group even admitted that it had no idea if the allegations were true. Sánchez had every reason to step down in an effort to mitigate that abuse, but he instead chose to stay in office to avert a political crisis.
• Right narrative, as provided by La Razón. In addition to failing to be effective in executing the duties of prime minister, Pedro Sánchez's government has been in corruption and scandals for the last five years. Instead of taking accountability and pursuing transparency, he has decided to play the victim in an effort to score political points. Sánchez never intended to resign, and he simply took a five-day vacation to allow the media to smear those who criticize his wife’s shady business dealings. Sánchez may try to promote "decency," but he's all about power.