BARCELONA, SPAIN – JULY 23: A man casts his vote at the historic building of the University of Barcelona on July 23, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. Voters in Spain go to the polls on July 23 to cast their ballots and elect Spain’s next government. (Photo by Javier Mostacero Carrera#1102751#51C ED/Getty Images)
Javier Mostacero Carrera | Getty Images News | beautiful pictures
Spain’s PP Conservative Party [Partido Popular] is on track to lead negotiations to form a new government in Madrid, opinion polls show, suggesting it could be the end of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s socialist regime.
The PP won between 145 and 150 seats, followed by the incumbent socialist party PSOE with between 113 and 118 seats, according to initial polls released by RTVE. An absolute majority requires 176 seats.
In the absence of a clear majority for any of the two major parties, the focus is now heavily on who will be the third-largest political force to emerge from Sunday’s election. So far it is unclear whether the far-right Vox party comes in third or fourth, as opinion polls have put it on par with the left-wing Sumar party.
One of the biggest questions from this election is whether the PP will officially partner with Vox — potentially marking the first time the far right has returned to power since Francisco Franco’s 1975 dictatorship. Opinion polls suggest that the right-wing bloc may have an active majority.
PP and Vox have previously joined forces to govern in three regions of the country, but it is likely that working together at the national level will be more complicated.
Members of Alberto Feijóo’s conservative party have raised concerns about Vox’s anti-immigration and anti-LGBT rights policies. Vox has also been criticized by mainstream politicians for opposing abortion rights and denying climate change, among other measures.
The snap election came as a result of the socialist PSOE’s crushing defeat in the regional and city polls in May. General elections were originally scheduled to take place later this year.
Sunday’s vote is the first to take place during the summer period. The extreme heat felt in different parts of the country in recent weeks may have shed some light on climate policy ahead of the vote.
Pedro Sanchez has been prime minister of Spain since 2018. He has been criticized for pardoning politicians who support the region’s independence. During his tenure, there were also problems with the “just means yes” sex consent law, which reduced the jail time of many convicted rapists through a loophole.
However, Sanchez’s economic record proved strong ahead of the vote. Spain’s economy is expected to grow above 5% in 2022 and is expected to grow by about 1.5% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Inflation in Europe’s fourth-largest economy is also among the lowest. In June, Spain became the first economy to report inflation below 2% across the region, down since its historic high in 2022, according to the country’s Economy Ministry. However, political experts said Sunday’s vote was more focused on cultural and social issues.
