TRENDING — Madrid protests demand Snchezs resignation as Zapatero faces arrest calls

Madrid protests demand Sánchez’s resignation and Zapatero’s arrest as judicial pressure mounts on Spain’s ruling elite

Thousands of demonstrators marched through Madrid on Saturday, calling for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to step down and for former Socialist leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to be detained, as Spain’s political crisis deepens over an escalating corruption scandal. The rally, backed by the conservative People’s Party (PP) and far-right Vox, marks the most visible public backlash yet against a judicial investigation linking both men to an alleged criminal network.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal accused Sánchez and Zapatero of holding Spain "hostage to a corrupt mafia," echoing chants from the crowd that included slogans like "Sánchez, traitor" and "Zapatero, to prison." The protest follows a series of judicial developments that have thrust Zapatero—once Sánchez’s mentor—into the center of a widening probe. According to *El Mundo*, senior PSOE officials describe the former prime minister’s legal troubles as a "nuclear bomb" for the current government, with allegations that Zapatero acted as Sánchez’s *de facto* chief of staff, overseeing sensitive policy areas despite holding no official role .

The case revolves around 11 prisoners—referred to in court documents as *"los 11 presos de Sánchez-Zapatero"*—whose detentions in 2025 were allegedly orchestrated to silence political opponents. Prosecutors claim the operation was coordinated through a shadowy network involving high-ranking officials, with Zapatero as a key figure. *El Mundo* reports that Zapatero’s legal team fears a former associate, Julio Martínez, could become a "weak link" in the case, potentially implicating him further if pressured to testify . Martínez, previously linked to business dealings with Zapatero, is seen as vulnerable to turning state’s evidence.

While Zapatero remains formally "presumed innocent," public skepticism is growing. An editorial in *El Mundo* argues that the sheer volume of circumstantial evidence—including financial records, witness statements, and digital communications—has shifted the burden of proof onto the former leader to explain his actions . The scandal has already triggered internal fractures within the PSOE, with some party figures privately warning that Sánchez’s leadership is unsustainable if Zapatero’s legal exposure worsens.

The protests in Madrid come as Spain’s judiciary accelerates its investigation, with a key hearing scheduled for next week. Analysts suggest the case could reshape the country’s political landscape ahead of regional elections in Catalonia and the Basque Country later this year, where Sánchez’s coalition government is already struggling to maintain its majority. For now, the prime minister has remained silent on the protests, but his allies are reportedly preparing a counter-narrative framing the judicial push as a politically motivated attack by the right.

> Background: **Former Spanish PM Zapatero faces corruption probes amid Venezuela ties and party turmoil.** — *2 days ago*