British News Agency

Tens of thousands joined an anti-government demonstration in Madrid calling for early general elections, as the country’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez struggles with a series of corruption allegations involving his family, party and administration.

Sunday’s protest, organized by Spain’s conservative People's Party (PP) under the slogan “This is it: mafia or democracy?”, came three days after one of Sanchez’s closest allies, former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos, was arrested by a judge investigating claims that he took bribes in exchange for contracts.

While the PP said turnout reached 80,000, the central government’s regional delegate estimated that the rally near the Temple of Debod in the city center drew about half that number.

PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo described the parliament as “absurd” and said it cannot be allowed to continue. He added that Abalos's pre-trial detention proved that Sanchez’s political style, known as “sanchismo,” is rotten. Addressing the crowd, Feijoo said: “Sanchismo is political, economic, institutional, social and moral corruption. Sanchismo is in jail and must leave the government.”

Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the populist PP president of the Madrid region, who will stand trial along with her partner on charges of tax evasion and document forgery, went even further. In her characteristic fiery speech, she invoked the ghost of the now-dissolved Basque terrorist group ETA, claiming that Sanchez’s government is helping the Basque nationalists who support him.