A leading Spanish left-wing politician is under investigation after allegations that he sexually assaulted or harassed more than a dozen women – including a TV presenter – rocked the country’s political sphere.

The revelations come a day after Inigo Errejon – a senior figure in the leftist coalition Sumar – announced he was leaving politics.

Going to X to announce that he was stepping back, Errejon said: “I am announcing … my resignation as spokesperson for Sumar’s parliamentary group and that I will leave my seat in Congress and all my political responsibilities.”

And while he did not mention the allegations against him, he said he had been “working on a personal issue” and that “to move forward in it and take care of myself, I have to abandon institutional politics, its demands and its rhythms.”

His post also suggested that his “mistake” was the result of working in a “neoliberal” political environment which he said “generates a toxic subjectivity, which, in the case of men, is multiplied by patriarchy”.

Spanish left-wing politician Inigo Errejon is under investigation following allegations of sexual abuse

TV presenter Elisa Mouliaa has revealed that she is one of Errejon’s victims

On Tuesday, an anonymous social media account had accused a “well-known Madrid-based politician” of psychological abuse, “gas lighting” and “humiliating sex practices” against a dozen women.

But after Errejon announced his resignation, actress and TV presenter Elisa Mouliaa wrote on X: ‘I am a victim of sexual abuse by Inigo Errejon’.

Meanwhile, Home Ministry sources said on Friday that a police report had been filed against the politician.

The accusations against Errejon, who was expected to be the next Sumar leader, have dented the feminist credentials of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government.

Errejon had been a leading figure in Spanish politics for the past decade after co-founding the far-left Podemos.

He then formed the splinter party Mas Pais, which now belongs to the Sumaralliansen.

The scandal comes amid a growing push against gender-based abuse of power in a country that last year saw the fall of Spanish football manager Luis Rubiales for publicly kissing national team player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, which she said was non-consensual.

The incident occurred as Hermoso stepped up to receive her medal following Spain’s victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final last August.