Thousands of supporters massed outside the headquarters of Sanchez's Socialist party in Madrid on Saturday chanting "Pedro, stay!" / Photo: AP
Sanchez announced last Wednesday that he was mulling resignation after a Madrid court opened a preliminary probe into suspected influence peddling and corruption targeting his wife Begona Gomez. Last Thursday, he had been due to launch his party's campaign for the May 12 regional elections in Catalonia in which his Socialists hope to oust the pro-independence forces from power.
If Sanchez decides to stay on, he could file a conf idence motion in parliament to show that he and his minority government are still supported by most lawmakers. While the court did not give details of the case, online news site El Confidencial said it was related to her ties to several private companies that received government funding or won public contracts.
They have been especially angered by his decision to grant an amnesty to hundreds of Catalan separatists facing legal action over their roles in the northeastern region's failed push for independence in 2017.