Spain's Senate censures Sánchez government over corruption scandals as key allies PNV and Junts abstain

A day of high drama in Madrid

The Spanish Senate witnessed a dramatic political showdown on Wednesday, 27 May 2026, as the conservative Partido Popular (PP) used its absolute majority to pass a motion reproaching the government of Pedro Sánchez. The motion accuses the executive of "inoperance" and failing to assume "political responsibilities" over a cascade of corruption allegations engulfing the Socialist Party (PSOE) and figures close to the prime minister. The vote unfolded against an extraordinary backdrop: agents of the Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO) were simultaneously searching the PSOE's national headquarters on Ferraz Street in Madrid, along with other properties.

The situation we are living through is extremely grave and speaks for itself. How many more police raids, how many more bribes, how many more investigations, how many more trials?

The PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, described the political climate as "agonising" and "unbearable," calling on government allies to say "enough" and demand elections. The motion, while symbolically significant, carries no legal force.

The abstention that spoke volumes

The most closely watched aspect of the vote was the stance of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and the Catalan pro-independence Junts per Catalunya. Both parties, whose parliamentary support is essential for Sánchez to remain in power, chose to abstain rather than vote against the censure. Their decision came just days after PNV president Aitor Esteban publicly stated it would be "irresponsible" for Sánchez to continue in office beyond 2026.

We are concerned about the discredit and distrust generated by this government, incapable of gathering sufficient support, sufficient majorities, incapable, therefore, of governing.

PNV Senate spokesperson Estefanía Beltrán de Heredia delivered a forceful speech from her seat, acknowledging the party's deep unease with the government while simultaneously rebuking the PP for what she called a "pseudo motion of censure" and "media circuses." She challenged Feijóo to file a formal no-confidence motion in the Congress of Deputies if he believed the circumstances warranted it. Junts, Coalición Canaria, and Geroa Bai also abstained, while Vox and UPN voted with the PP.

A web of judicial investigations

The Senate debate took place amid a rapidly expanding set of judicial probes. The Audiencia Nacional, Spain's high court for complex cases, has become the epicentre of multiple investigations. Judge Santiago Pedraz is examining an alleged conspiracy to obtain sensitive information on judges, prosecutors, and security forces involved in cases affecting the PSOE. In this "Leire case," former PSOE organisation secretary Santos Cerdán, party manager Ana María Fuentes, former Andalusian vice-president Gaspar Zarrías, businessman Javier Pérez Dolset, a civil guard, and two lawyers have all been placed under investigation.

Separately, Judge José Luis Calama has indicted former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero over his alleged role in a suspected influence-peddling scheme linked to a €53 million bailout granted in 2021 to airline Plus Ultra. The PP's Senate motion was registered the day after Zapatero's indictment became public.

Feijóo's strategic calculus

The PP framed the Senate motion as a test of the government's parliamentary allies, seeking to gauge whether PNV and Junts might be willing to abandon Sánchez and potentially support a future no-confidence vote in the lower house. Feijóo, however, has not yet formally tabled such a motion. The abstentions signal growing discontent among nationalist parties but fall short of an outright break.

The first time in democratic history that an attorney general is convicted for committing crimes to bring down a political adversary, the first time a deputy enters prison, that a relative of the president sits in the dock, and now, for the first time, a former prime minister indicted for involvement in a money-laundering scheme.

PP senator María José Pardo listed the unprecedented nature of the scandals during the debate, while the session itself turned heated when a PSOE senator was heard shouting "fascist" at a Vox senator, prompting PP's Javier Arenas to demand the chamber's protection.

What comes next

Despite the political theatre in the Senate, the immediate path forward remains unchanged. The motion is non-binding, and Sánchez has repeatedly refused to call early elections. The prime minister's strategy, according to sources, involves attempting to extend the legislature until summer 2027. However, pressure is mounting from multiple directions: territorial party structures fear electoral punishment in local elections, and nationalist allies are increasingly uncomfortable propping up an executive besieged by judicial investigations. The PNV's Beltrán de Heredia called on the government to show "responsibility and vision," warning that politics cannot be reduced to "empty messages and gestures."