Brandishing placards with slogans such as "Enough is enough!" and "Not another day!" supporters of Spain's conservative opposition People's Party (PP) rallied in Madrid on Sunday, calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Spanish capital, accusing Sanchez's left-wing government of corruption.

Protesters also called for early elections.

Who organized the protest in Madrid?

The demonstration was organized by the PP under opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo. The rally in central Madrid carried the slogan "Mafia or democracy?"

Participants waved Spanish flags and carried signs reading "Resign now!" and "Sanchez, go away!"

The PP estimated the crowd at around 80,000, while the Interior Ministry put the figure closer to 40,000. The last large-scale protest against Sanchez in the capital occurred in June.

Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, the PP mayor in the capital, and former PP Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also addressed the rally.

What caused the people to protest?

Sunday's demonstration was sparked by a Supreme Court decision earlier this week, ordering the pre-trial detention of Sanchez's former transport minister, Jose Luis Abalos, and the minister's ex-adviser Koldo Garcia.

"The situation (in Spain) has become untenable," one attendee, Daniel Noguera, told the AFP news agency. The 18-year-old student highlighted "prices which go up constantly" while adding that finding a place to live was becoming harder than ever.

In office since 2018, Sanchez has vowed not to quit before the end of the current parliamentary term in 2027.

He has denounced attacks orchestrated by the right-wing parties which he says are designed to weaken him.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko