Pedro Sánchez poised to reveal if he will quit as Spain’s leader

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is poised to end five days of suspense on Monday by announcing whether he will bring nearly six years in power to a close by resigning and pitching his country into the political unknown.

Sánchez spent the weekend in a period of “reflection”, which he began last Wednesday when he asked “Is it all worth it?” following a judge’s decision to open a preliminary investigation into his wife over corruption allegations.

The 52-year-old, one of the EU’s most senior Socialist leaders, has not been seen in public since he appeared thunder-faced in parliament on Wednesday before retreating to write an open letter saying he had to weigh his future.

He is set to announce his decision in a statement to the country and take no questions from the media.

If he quits, he is expected to try to pave the way for one of his ministers to become Spain’s first female prime minister, a landmark moment in the EU’s fourth most populous country and one that would come 18 months after Italy reached the same milestone.

If he remains in office, Sánchez could attempt to bolster his standing by submitting himself to a confidence vote in parliament. But his stay-or-go gambit will only heighten the fury directed at him from the right in a country that stands out for its toxic politics.

At the weekend, thousands of people massed in demonstrations outside Socialist party headquarters in Madrid to urge Sánchez to remain in power, with chants including “Pedro, stay!” and “It’s worth it!”.

Óscar Puente, Sánchez’s transport minister, said: “It’s not that easy because it’s true that they’ve hit him in his weak spot . . . Hopefully he’ll end this period of reflection by doing what we all want and what we all hope, which is for him to move forward.”

The opposition People’s party, which Sánchez has blamed for spearheading a campaign of “harassment and destruction” against him over for several years, intensified its attacks on Sunday.

“I don’t know what he will say tomorrow, but whatever he says, he will be forever marked by the decadence he has brought to our country,” said Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the PP’s conservative leader, who has accused him of hijacking Spain for his own interests.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, said: “Sánchez has been cornered by corruption, cornered by his lies and his betrayals. That’s what we’re seeing.”

Teresa Ribera, deputy prime minister, said Sánchez was “despondent” in an interview with El País newspaper. “These have been tough years. He’s strong but anyone can end up at breaking point.”

The preliminary judicial investigation into Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, was triggered by a complaint from Manos Limpias, a group with far-right links and a history of launching politically tinged litigation. It alleged Gómez had engaged in influence peddling in her dealings with private businesses.

Sánchez described any supposed wrongdoing as “non-existent” in his letter. Gómez has not spoken about the allegations.