Overview
- Thousands gathered at Madrid’s Temple of Debod in a demonstration organized by the People’s Party calling for Pedro Sánchez to resign and for snap polls.
- Attendance claims diverged, with the PP citing about 80,000 participants and the central government’s regional representative estimating roughly half that.
- Senior PP figures including Isabel Díaz Ayuso and former prime ministers José María Aznar and Mariano Rajoy joined leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo at the rally.
- The protest followed the Supreme Court’s order to hold former transport minister José Luis Ábalos in pretrial detention in an alleged pandemic‑era mask procurement scheme, as prosecutors seek a sentence exceeding 20 years.
- Sánchez apologized over related scandals but rejected calls to quit and remains in office as Feijóo acknowledges the PP lacks votes to force a no‑confidence motion.