A close vote in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region on Sunday could see the opposition conservative party lose its traditional stronghold and be a blow to its leader.
The People’s Party (PP) has ruled Galicia since 2009, winning a majority in each of the past four elections under Alberto Núñez Feijó, and is set to take control of the country’s population of around 2.7 million people in 2022. He plans to leave his rural home and become the leader of a national party.
Initial opinion polls published in January showed the PP on track for another victory, but the race has since intensified and polls now show the party with a majority of 75 seats. It has been shown that there is a possibility of losing the absolute majority in local councils.
This paves the way for cooperation between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party and the burgeoning left-wing nationalist party BNG. The Socialist Party currently governs national politics in a minority coalition that relies on the support of smaller regional parties to pass legislation.
The election comes after Feijou was criticized over the weekend for comments in support of granting a conditional pardon to former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont for his involvement in the failed 2017 Catalan independence movement. It is carried out while being exposed to He even claimed to have researched it “round the clock” before ruling out amnesty for separatists.
However, under the leadership of Mr. Sánchez, the party offered support to Mr. Puigdemont and other Catalan separatists in exchange for parliamentary support from two Catalan separatist groups to enable a new government to be formed after the inconclusive national elections in July. He has consistently accused Mr. Sánchez of granting amnesty to hundreds of patriots.
Feijou has repeatedly called the controversial amnesty (which still needs parliamentary approval) a “humiliation” and the PP has held mass demonstrations against it.
The apparent change in direction left party members shaken and exposed to accusations of hypocrisy.
“In the morning we will rally and negotiate amnesties and in the afternoon we will protest against the separatists,” Sánchez told an election rally in Galicia on Thursday.
Voting began at 9am (8pm Japan time) and ended at 8pm, with official results expected in a few hours.
– “Obvious” impact –
If the PP loses its absolute majority in Galicia, Feijou’s grip on the party will weaken.
The government had already suffered a blow after the PP won the most seats in Spain’s early general elections in July, but Feijoo was then unable to muster a substantial parliamentary majority to form a government, and the Socialist Party Despite finishing second, Sanchez was given a lifeline to stay. .
José Pablo Ferrandis, director of the pollster Ipsos, told Spanish public television TVE last week that the PP’s defeat in Galicia would have a “clear and obvious” impact on Feijou’s leadership of the party. Told.
The PP has ruled Galicia for 36 of the 42 years it has existed under Spain’s post-dictatorship autonomous regional government system.
This region, located above Portugal, is one of the most conservative regions of Spain. It is also the birthplace of longtime dictator Francisco Franco, his right-hand man Manuel Fraga, and former PP Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
Feijoo warned that a BNG victory would bring to Galicia the same “social rupture” seen in Catalonia, which is ruled by separatist parties.
“We can’t let nationalism come here. There is no place where nationalism is doing well,” he said at his final election rally on Friday.
BNG, led by Anna Ponton, is campaigning on a commitment to make language an important issue and promote the use of the Galician language in public education and civil service.