Thousands of Spaniards take part in antigovernment protests

Thousands of people gathered this Sunday around the Temple of Debod, in Madrid, to participate in a demonstration, called by the Popular Party (PP), against the government, days after the former socialist minister José Luis Ábalos and his former advisor Koldo García were remanded in custody as part of the judicial investigation into the alleged corrupt scheme to buy masks during the pandemic.

Under the slogan 'Effectively: mafia or democracy?', the main opposition leaders charged against the government of Pedro Sánchez, whom they accused of having allowed, they say, an "unprecedented" institutional deterioration. The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said during his speech that what happened with Ábalos "is not a one-off mistake", and affirmed that "Sanchezism is political, economic, institutional, social and moral corruption", before demanding that he "leave the government".

A case that strikes at the core of the PSOE

The Ábalos situation, the first incumbent national MP to be remanded in custody, has had a strong political impact. The PSOE leadership expelled him from the party after learning of the measure handed down by the National Court, although Ábalos maintains his seat as a non-attached member of parliament.

The former minister and his former advisor are being investigated for their alleged involvement in a network of irregular commissions linked to contracts for the supply of health material during the worst months of the pandemic. The so-called 'Koldo case' continues under secrecy in several of its parts, and the examining magistrate points to indications of bribery and influence peddling. They both deny the facts.

Although the case originated in the emergency contracts for the purchase of face masks during the pandemic, the Koldo case has grown into a much broader investigation into alleged irregularities in the awarding of public contracts.

The judge is analysing not only the possible cost overruns and poor quality of the health material, but also the existence of illegal commissions, influence peddling, embezzlement and a possible organised network to direct contracts towards specific companies. The investigations extend to contracts awarded by several administrations, including autonomous communities such as the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, which places the case in a deeper area than the mere fraudulent purchase of masks, pointing to a more structural corruption network.

Investigations that are politically close to Sánchez

The case has reactivated the opposition's criticism of the prime minister's entourage. Although none of those investigated closest to Sánchez have been convicted, several judicial proceedings opened in recent months have increased political pressure.

The president's wife, Begoña Gómez, is being investigated for alleged influence peddling, business corruption, misappropriation, professional intrusion and embezzlement in several lines of work linked to her academic activity and alleged recommendations to companies that received public contracts.

At the same time, his brother, David Sánchez, is facing legal proceedings for alleged administrative malfeasance and influence peddling related to his contracting at the Badajoz Provincial Council, in a trial set for February 2026.

A political climate of growing tension

This Sunday's demonstration is taking place in an increasingly tense political climate, fuelled by the succession of cases affecting figures close to the government. For the PP, the scandals demonstrate a "pattern of behaviour" in the president's entourage; for the government, it is a political offensive based on court cases that have yet to be resolved.

While the investigations are progressing, Ábalos's arrest and provisional imprisonment mark an unprecedented milestone in recent politics and add a new layer of tension to the Spanish political landscape.