Sánchez Under Pressure
Feijóo urges Sánchez to dissolve Cortes and call elections amidst PSOE corruption scandals
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of Spain's main opposition party PP, demanded on June 24 that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez dissolve parliament and call general elections immediately. The call came hours after a week of devastating judicial blows — including a 24-year prison sentence for former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, Sánchez's one-time political right hand El Correo Gallego.
"You are the political corrupting nexus. Corruption is you," Feijóo told Sánchez in a high-tension plenary session in Congress. "The only thing expected of you is to dissolve the Cortes and let us vote." A new poll by Sigma Dos puts the PP at 32.6% and the PSOE at 26.4%, suggesting a PP-Vox coalition could win an outright majority with around 200 seats El Día.
Ábalos Conviction Opens the Floodgates for Feijóo
On June 22, Spain's Supreme Court handed down its verdict in the "Caso Koldo" — a corruption ring tied to COVID-era mask contracts. Ábalos was sentenced to 24 years and 3 months in prison. It is the longest sentence ever given to a serving minister in Spain's democratic era LNE.
The ruling gave Feijóo a powerful platform. He argued that a president whose government produced such a figure has lost all moral authority to govern. Sánchez's response was to label the proceedings "political persecution" and insist his government "will continue until 2027" El Periódico de Aragón.
A Perfect Storm: Four Judicial Fronts Hit at Once
The Ábalos conviction is just one of four active legal crises hitting the government. On June 15, Sánchez's wife Begoña Gómez was ordered to stand trial for corruption and influence trafficking. Her passport was confiscated by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado La Provincia.
A separate case, the "Caso Leire," alleges that PSOE operatives used party funds to pressure judges and obstruct investigations into the president's family. On June 17, former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero testified as an indicted suspect in the Plus Ultra case — linked to €53 million in alleged illegal commissions during an airline rescue El Periódico Mediterráneo.
Feijóo Has the Moral High Ground but Not the Numbers
Despite the pressure, Sánchez is unlikely to fall any time soon. Feijóo does not have enough votes in parliament for a successful motion of no confidence. He would need support from Junts per Catalunya or the PNV — two key coalition allies of Sánchez who have so far stayed silent Diario de Ibiza.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal has backed the call for elections. But the PP is cautious about filing a formal joint motion with Vox. If the motion fails, it would give Sánchez a political lifeline. Analysts say Feijóo is betting on judicial escalation rather than a parliamentary gamble La Opinión de Málaga.
What Could Actually End Sánchez's Government
The clearest path to a government collapse runs through the budget. Sánchez must pass Spain's 2027 General State Budgets to keep meaningful legislative power. Feijóo has said a president who cannot pass a budget "should not even present himself for election" El Periódico de Extremadura.
In the "Caso Leire" files, investigators reference a figure called "The One" — identified by the UCO, Spain's police intelligence unit, as Sánchez himself. If the Supreme Court finds enough evidence to formally link those references to the president, it could trigger a suplicatorio — a formal request to Congress to strip his immunity and charge him directly El Correo Gallego.
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