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Santiago de Compostela, Spain, February 18 (EFE) – The conservative Popular Party (PP) won an absolute majority for the fifth consecutive year in Sunday’s elections in Galicia, giving it 75 votes to form the parliament of Spain’s northwest region. won 40 out of 40 senators.
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 in the previous parliament.
The Galician Socialist Party (PSdeG-PSOE) lost five members, leaving only nine members, while Democratic Ourensana, running for the first time at local level, won one seat.
These results excluded the left-wing Podemos party, the socialists’ former partner in Spain’s coalition government, from the Galician parliament, as well as the left-wing Chemal coalition, which had made its debut in Galicia at the national level. The last general election was held in July. The far-right 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 make up 18 percent 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 the process could last until at least the 29th.
Argentina, generally considered the fifth region of Galicia (Galicia has four regions), has around 200,000 Galicians able to vote, followed by Cuba, which is the fifth region of Galicia to vote (CERA). The number of people reached a record high of approximately 45,600.
Other countries with large Galician populations include Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela, and Switzerland.
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, as in 2012, 2016 and 2020, PP leader Alberto Nuñez Feijó won with an absolute majority.
The current candidate, Alfonso Rueda, who replaced Núñez Feijo as party president in 2022, has accomplished the task of reaffirming his majority.
In light of Sunday’s results, Núñez Feiju has strengthened his leadership in a polarized parliament, both within his party and as leader of Spain’s main opposition group.
In the PP’s opinion, this victory is a “triumph of temperance and balance”.
Socialist candidate José Ramón Gómez Besteiro admitted that the results were not as expected.
“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. EFE
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