The Economist calls for Spain's PM to resign

An article in The Economist has urged Sánchez to take one of two possible options - either to call elections or hand over the reins to another prominent member of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) who could initiate a "constructive relationship with the moderate opposition".

Though the weekly publication did note among other achievements that Spain's economic growth has "outpaced that of the euro area as a whole", unemployment levels are at "its lowest since 2008" and that Sánchez supporters "see him as a last bastion of social democracy against the hard right", the magazine stated that the beleaguered PM must step down.

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"To restore confidence in Spanish democracy, the Prime Minister should take responsibility and resign. There is no compelling reason for him to remain in office," says the editorial, arguing that strong economic data is no excuse to stay on.

In fact, the magazine even went as far to credit the previous government for Spain's healthy growth rates: "Spain's economic growth began before his term in office and is due more to the reforms of his conservative predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, than to his own."

"That growth would continue without him," it adds.

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The anonymous op-ed continued to criticise Sánchez, pointing out that his government is only sustained by allies ranging from "the radical left to the Basque and Catalan nationalists," for whom he "has paid a high price" and whose solidity is "less reliable".

Spain's right-wing opposition party the Partido Popular (PP) has reacted to The Economist piece by urging Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to take time during his summer holidays to "reflect" and decide on his options.

The PP's Deputy Secretary for Education and Equality, Jaime de los Santos, agreed with the article, arguing that "as The Economist and other international newspapers say, and every media outlet in this country says, if there's one thing that represents Pedro Sánchez's government and the Socialist Party, it's corruption", ignoring the fact that the PP has also been recently hit by its own corruption scandal.

De los Santos also took the opportunity to point out that Sánchez's "two strong men" are "one in prison and the other cannot leave Spain because the courts have revoked his passport,", referring to disgraced PSOE politicians Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos.

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"What is clear is that in Pedro Sánchez's government there is not a single person who respects the institutions or defends democracy," de los Santos added.