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SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, SPAIN, February 18 (EFE) – Voting began on Sunday in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region in what is expected to be the closest election in 15 years.
Some 2.7 million voters have been summoned, more than 18% of whom live abroad, many of them in Latin America, to elect a new parliament in the region, which has been dominated by the Popular Party (PP) for decades. called to elect the president.
The conservative party led by former Galician president and current PP president Alberto Nuñez Feijoo is expected to win by a narrow margin over the left-wing Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG), which is in second place in the polls, with a sharp increase compared to last time. This was a significant improvement. 2020 elections – and the Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), which is predicted to come in third place.
The election is expected to test whether the country approves the controversial amnesty law for Catalan separatists passed by the PSOE government, as well as Feijo’s achievements in the region after four terms in office. It is being
The PP has been in power since 2009, when Feijo won with an absolute majority, as well as in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
While a victory for the PP would mean support for the party’s leader, a defeat could increase tensions within the party and give the PSOE a trump card against the conservatives nationally.
The current PP candidate in Galicia, Alfonso Rueda, who replaced Feijo as party president in 2022, is tasked with reaffirming his majority with 38 out of 75 seats, but many polls suggest otherwise. Candidates expected to win narrowly in the two most important seats are PSOE’s José Ramón Gómez Bestélio and BNG’s Ana Pontón.
A tie between two small left-wing parties, one regional candidate and a far-right party could upset the balance, while the BNG and PSOE could join forces if the PP fails to secure an absolute majority.
Turnout may also be key, given the fact that regional polls in Galicia usually have high abstention rates. Voter turnout in 2016 was 53.6% and in 2020 it was 58.8%.
A total of 3,951 polling stations will be set up across the region, allowing more than 2.2 million Galicians to exercise their right to vote in person.
Overseas residents have already submitted their ballots, which could be key given they represent 18% of the electorate in an area with a long tradition of immigration. EFE
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