Scandal and Scrutiny: Sanchez's Coalition Under Fire

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez finds himself under intense scrutiny as a corruption investigation threatens to destabilize his minority coalition government. Amid parliamentary grilling, Sanchez avoided confirming if his name may appear in the probe involving key Socialist figures and kickback allegations concerning public works contracts.

Political analysts suggest that should Sanchez's name emerge in the investigation, his leadership as the Socialist head and prime minister could be at risk. During a parliamentary questioning by Gabriel Rufian of the Catalan nationalist Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya party, Sanchez refused to provide assurance his name would not surface in the ongoing police inquiry.

Despite the growing scandal, the Prime Minister accused Rufian of premature judgments while denying any evidence of illegal financing connected to the Socialists. Sanchez avows an 'absolute intolerance of corruption' and is navigating the scandal by naming a temporary party leadership and promising an external audit of accounts.

(With inputs from agencies.)