Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he would dissolve parliament and call for snap elections after his PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) was hammered in regional and municipal voting contests on Sunday. His decision comes amid what right-wing Vox party leader, Santiago Abascal, has already stated will be his commitment to the “fight against socialism and communism”.
🔴EN DIRECTO
Declaración institucional del presidente del Gobierno, @sanchezcastejon, desde La Moncloa. https://t.co/5QyRGbHjfY
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) May 29, 2023
The shift in Spanish politics means the centre-right Partido Popular (PP) is now the country’s largest party while Vox has tripled in size.
In the hope of uniting the leftist elements of parliament and limit what is perceived by some as potential future damage, Sánchez wants an election contest on July 23, months earlier than originally planned, in what could be regarded as an all-or-nothing gamble.
The beating for the left came as something of a shock; the PSOE lost power in numerous regions and municipalities – including several that had been strongholds for the left for decades. The results benefited the centre-right PP and Vox, which forms a right-wing union along the lines of that in Italy.
PSOE losses included six out of 10 autonomous communities, among which was Spain’s most populous, Valencia. The PP now controls about 31 per cent of the overall vote, while the nationalist Vox movement has become the third-largest political power in the country.
The results mean the PP can secure the mayoral position in four out of the country’s five largest cities, being dominant in Madrid and Malaga and, with the support of Vox, in Seville and Valencia also. However, in Barcelona, the victory went to Xavier Trias, former mayor and a Catalan nationalist.
Sanchez said after the results: “Although yesterday’s elections were about regional and local issues, the significance of the result goes beyond that … I take personal responsibility for the result.”
While the PSOE lost a significant number of votes, its allies on the left did even worse with electoral support for far-left partner Podemos seeming to all but evaporate in many constituencies.
Sanchez’s proposed election date of July 23 has been called into question by observers, given it would be during holiday season and therefore highly unusual.
