Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Partido Popular (PP), sharply escalated his confrontation with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Congress on Wednesday. Feijóo accused Sánchez of having no morality and linked him politically to corruption scandals affecting the government and the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). He argued that it made no difference whether Sánchez knew of the alleged wrongdoing, claiming those implicated had acted because of their connection to the prime minister.
During the parliamentary session, Feijóo renewed his call for early elections, arguing that the government had failed to improve ordinary citizens’ lives and benefited only its own circle. He demanded the dissolution of the Cortes Generales and immediate elections, putting greater pressure on Sánchez’s coalition partners to consider backing a motion of no confidence. Feijóo stopped short of formally submitting one. Instead, he urged government allies to publicly declare their readiness to withdraw support.
Feijóo’s strategy placed responsibility for the government’s continuation on Sánchez’s partners. He argued that those who chose to sustain an administration he described as corrupt and dishonest should accept responsibility for prolonging it. The PP has enough parliamentary strength to initiate a motion without first securing coalition partners’ support, but passing it would require votes beyond the opposition party’s own bloc. His approach so focused on public pressure as well as possible parliamentary action.
In related remarks, Feijóo accused Sánchez of bringing forward the general election to hinder investigations into PSOE financing. He also alleged that money linked to prostitution may have funded Sánchez’s party basic campaign, and said the election timing was intended to “silence” judges. These are political allegations made by Feijóo, not established judicial findings. In separate remarks reported by Demócrata, he cited both “16 proceedings” and “17 corruption cases”; these were his characterizations, not totals established through court records. He also argued that the election timetable could make it less likely Sánchez would be called to testify.
The dispute comes amid judicial investigations involving people linked to the government and the PSOE, keeping accountability and political responsibility in the public debate. It echoes other recent moments of public tension in Spanish politics, including the controversy over a bishop’s arrival that triggered conflict in the valley, described here. Both episodes show how leadership disputes and questions of integrity continue to shape the national conversation.
Under Article 113 of Spain’s Constitution, a motion of no confidence must be proposed by at least one-tenth of Congress, 35 of its 350 members, and include a candidate to replace the prime minister. It passes only with an absolute majority, or at least 176 votes. The PP can meet the threshold to submit a motion on its own, but would need additional support to pass it. Feijóo’s call for the government’s allies to act was a political demand, not evidence that a motion had been formally filed. The confrontation puts the coalition’s cohesion and the timing of the next general election at the centre of the political debate.
