Pedro Sánchez decided to remain as Spain’s Prime Minister after having suspended public duties for almost a week.
The premier announced his decision on April 29 following meeting with the Spanish King for a private audience.
“I decided to stay,” Sánchez said on the streps of La Moncloa Palace in Madrid.
“I will work for the regeneration of our democracy and for the advancement and the consolidation of our rights and liberties,” he added.
Sánchez said the whole country needed a “collective reflection” on “the type of society it wants to be”.
“A mud of toxic, unimaginable practices has colonised politics and public life,” he said in reference to “fake news” that, according to the premier, “have informed public discourse” in recent years.
“Confusing freedom of expression with freedom of defamation is a democratic perversion with devastating consequences.
“Let us show the world how to defend democracy,” said the PM.
On April 25, Sánchez announced in a letter addressed to Spanish citizens that he would suspend public duties “to decide his future” after several reports referred to his wife Begoña Gómez’s alleged links with an influence influence peddling scandal
“My wife and I know this defamation campaign will not stop,” said Sánchez on April 29.
“We can handle it,” he added.
Over the weekend of April 27, demonstrations took place in the country’s major cities to show support for the Prime Minister.
Sánchez said that such “social mobilisation” had influenced his decision.
On April 27, the PSOE party gathered several thousand supporters of the PM at its headquarters in Madrid. National and regional PSOE leaders joined them.
Leaders from other parties were also quick to show their backing for Sánchez, including coalition-partner and Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz of the SUMAR party.
One of the most brazen was the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Works, Óscar Puente, who referred to Sánchez as “the f****** master” at a party rally in Santiago de Compostela.
In his speech announcing his decision to stay, the PM said: “The social majority has in the last five days mobilised in favour of dignity and common sense.”
Opposition leaders Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the centre-right Partido Popular (PP) and Santiago Abascal from the Conservative VOX party are scheduled to speak at their party national headquarters in Madrid.
