Spain Protesters Demand PM Resign Over Scandal Thousands of protesters have jammed downtown streets outside the Madrid headquarters of the ruling Popular Party to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy amid allegations he received payoffs from a slush fund before his party won elections in 2011. The demonstration Thursday came after opposition leaders called for Rajoy to explain himself before Parliament or face a censure vote. On Monday, Rajoy brushed off demands he should resign after text messages emerged showing him comforting a former political party treasurer under investigation over the slush fund and secret Swiss bank accounts. The treasurer has claimed Rajoy took under the counter payments, accusations denied by Rajoy. The spectacle of alleged greed and corruption has enraged Spaniards hurting from austerity and sky high unemployment.