Will He Resign Or Not? Spain Awaits PM's Decision

Madrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2024) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will break his silence on Monday and announce whether or not he will step down following the opening of a corruption probe into his wife's business dealings.

The 52-year-old, in office since 2018 and only reappointed to another term in November, is expected to address the media from the Moncloa palace in Madrid, his official residence.

Sanchez announced last Wednesday that he was mulling resignation after a Madrid court opened a preliminary probe into suspected influence peddling and corruption targeting his wife Begona Gomez.

"I need to stop and think whether I should continue to head the government or whether I should give up this honour," he wrote in a four-page letter posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Thousands of supporters massed outside the headquarters of Sanchez's Socialist party in Madrid on Saturday chanting "Pedro, stay!"

Spain's public prosecutor's office on Thursday requested the dismissal of the investigation.

But Sanchez, an expert in political survival who has made a career out of taking political gambles, has suspended all his public duties and retreated into silence.

Last Thursday, he had been due to launch his party's campaign for the May 12 regional elections in Catalonia in which his Socialists hope to oust the pro-independence forces from power.

If he does resign, analysts said early elections could be called in July -- a year after the last ones -- with or without Sanchez at the helm of the Socialist party.

The Socialists could also propose that parliament appoint his replacement. Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero, who is also deputy prime minister, has been touted as a likely contender.

If Sanchez decides to stay on, he could file a confidence motion in parliament to show that he and his minority government are still supported by most lawmakers.