The conservative Popular Party (PP) won an absolute majority for the fifth consecutive year in Sunday’s elections in Galicia, winning 40 of the 75 members who make up Spain’s northwestern region’s parliament.
With a vote count of 98%, the PP lost two seats in the election compared to 2020, while the left-wing nationalist party BNG gained 25 members, six more than its Euractic partner, the previous parliament. . EFE report.
The Socialist Party of Galicia (PSdeG-PSOE) lost five members and retained nine, while the Democratic Party Ourensana, running for the first time at local level, won one seat.
These results led to the exclusion of the leftist Podemos party, the socialists’ former partner in Spain’s coalition government, from the Galician parliament, as well as the leftist Xmal coalition, which had made its regional debut after a grand inauguration in the National Parliament. was excluded from the Galician parliament. It was the same level as the previous general election in July. The far-right party Vox also failed to find a home in Galicia and failed to win any parliamentarians.
The participation rate was approximately 67.30%, an 18% increase from 2020.
In Galicia, traditionally ruled by a right-wing government, 2.7 million voters were called to vote, of whom more than 475,000 live abroad, many in Latin America, and the Galician electorate They account for 18% of the roster.
At this time, 6.15% of overseas voters cast their votes, five times more than in 2020.
Counting of overseas votes will begin on February 26th and could continue until at least the 29th.
This Sunday’s local elections are the 12th since Galicia gained autonomy, with the PP winning most of them. The party has ruled Galicia since 1982, except for two terms (1987-1990 and 2005-2009) when a socialist served as executive chairman.
And in 2009, PP leader Alberto Nuñez Feijó won with an absolute majority, just as he had in 2012, 2016, and 2020.
The current candidate, Alfonso Rueda, who replaced Núñez Feijo as party president in 2022, has accomplished the task of reaffirming his majority. Following Sunday’s results, Núñez Feijoo strengthened his leadership within the party and as leader of Spain’s main opposition group in a polarized parliament.
In the PP’s opinion, this victory is a “triumph of temperance and balance”.
Socialist candidate José Ramón Gómez Besteiro admitted the result was unexpected.
“Our mission was to help people understand the importance of this election.” […] And there is a need for change, but we are not achieving it,” he said.
[Edited by Alice Taylor]
