Pressure Grows on Spain’s Leader After Police Search His Party Office (original) (raw)
Europe|Pressure Grows on Spain’s Leader After Police Search His Party Office
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/world/europe/spain-sanchez-socialist-party-raid.html
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After a judge accused his party of corruption, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain has faced mounting calls to resign.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain is dealing with a domestic crisis as he has sought to distance himself from a growing aura of corruption among his party and allies.Credit...Francesco Fotia/Reuters
May 28, 2026
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain faced growing pressure on Thursday to call early elections, a day after police officers spent about 12 hours searching the headquarters of his Socialist Party. They were investigating whether party members had surreptitiously funded a mudslinging campaign against judges involved in cases against the government and members of Mr. Sánchez’s family.
Judge Santiago Pedraz of the National Court, who ordered the police operation, accused the party of keeping a de facto criminal organization on its payroll, according to court documents reviewed by The New York Times. The Socialist Party said it would cooperate with the authorities and judicial officials, as did Mr. Sánchez, who added that the central figures in the investigation had been thrown out of the party more than a year ago.
“What I can say to the Spanish citizens is,” he said, “full cooperation with the justice system.”
The accusations deepened a domestic crisis for Mr. Sánchez, who has sought to distance himself from a growing aura of corruption among his party and allies by taking a more prominent role on the international stage. His vocal criticism of the war in Iran and the Trump administration, and his efforts to make common cause with Pope Leo XIV ahead of a papal visit to Spain next month, have made him a liberal darling around the world.
At home is another story. Last week, his political ally and Spain’s former prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, was placed under formal investigation for influence peddling. Several of Mr. Sánchez’s relatives and other former allies are on trial or under investigation for corruption, including his brother, who began standing trial on Thursday in connection with allegations that he had received a patronage job.
One of those defendants, Santos Cerdán, a former top Socialist Party official, is accused in the latest charges that prompted the police raid on Wednesday of masterminding a smear campaign against judges and prosecutors.
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The Spanish police blocked access to the Socialist Party’s headquarters in Madrid on Wednesday after a judicial order to gather information.Credit...Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
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