Spanish Congress urges Sánchez to face confidence vote and resign amid corruption scandals

The lower house approved a Popular Party (PP) motion urging Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to consider presenting a question of confidence and to resign. The proposal passed with an absolute majority of 178 votes in favour and 171 against, backed by the PP, Vox, Junts, Coalición Canaria and UPN.

The text accuses the government of “political paralysis” and points to the accumulation of corruption investigations involving officials directly appointed by Sánchez, notably the recent Supreme Court conviction of former transport minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison (and his adviser Koldo García to 19 years) in the “mask‑case”. Ábalos has announced he will request the nullity of the verdict, claiming the trial was predetermined.

While the motion is a non‑binding parliamentary proposition, its passage signals that Sánchez no longer commands a guaranteed parliamentary majority. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo described the vote as historic, saying Sánchez is now acting against the absolute majority. Deputies from the PP shouted “¡Dimisión!” as Sánchez left the hemicycle amid applause from his bloc.

Other parties reacted: ERC’s Gabriel Rufián warned of voter disaffection, Sumar criticised the lack of concrete proposals and called for an internal PSOE audit, and the government defended its record on social measures. The motion adds pressure for a possible confidence vote or even a future motion of censure, though Sánchez retains the constitutional prerogative to decide whether to submit to a confidence question.