The head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, suddenly canceled all his plans for the coming days in order to consider the possibility of resigning after the opening of an investigation into corruption involving his wife.
"I need to pause and think. I need to decide whether I can continue to hold the position of prime minister or it is better to resign. I do not seek power, but I consider it important to be responsible to the country I serve and love."
He said he would hold a press conference on April 29 to announce his decision.
Sanchez was able to form a government last year thanks to the support of Catalan separatist parties, to whom he promised amnesty for politicians convicted of holding an illegal referendum on Catalan independence in 2017. This law, passed by both houses of the Spanish parliament, covers about 400 people associated with this referendum, including the former head of the Catalan government, Carles Puigdemont, who was forced to flee the country.
The conflict between the regional authorities of Catalonia and the central government of Spain peaked in 2017, when the autonomous community held a referendum on independence, which the central authorities in Madrid declared unconstitutional. This has led to the criminal prosecution of several Catalan political leaders.