Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has apologised to the Spanish people after an escalating corruption scandal brought down a senior Socialist party colleague.
According to BBC, Sánchez, who has led Spain since 2018, said there was no such thing as "zero corruption" and he sought to put to distance himself from the affair, ruling out early elections.
Opposition conservative leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said it was time for Sánchez to resign, "Survival is no longer an option."
A downbeat Sánchez admitted he had been wrong to trust Santos Cerdán, the secretary of his Socialist party, and spoke of his deep disappointment.
Cerdán has been asked to testify in court after a judge suggested he may have acted with former party officials in improperly awarding public contracts in exchange for kickbacks.
He said on Thursday he was stepping down to defend himself in the Supreme Court on 25 June, maintaining he had "never committed a crime nor have I been complicit one".
Despite his seven years in power, Sánchez heads a shaky, minority coalition, secured after the conservative Popular Party won 2023 elections but failed to form a government.
Amid mounting speculation over his own future, he called a news conference in a bid to head off the creeping scandal.
In a statement followed by media questions, he said he knew absolutely nothing about the corruption affair and instead pledged to restructure the leadership of his Socialist PSOE party.
"This is not about me, and it's not about the Socialist party," he said.
His government would continue its "political project", insisting that no new elections would take place until 2027.
However, Sánchez may face pressure from within his coalition, after deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz from left-wing coalition partner Sumar said she also wanted explanations.
