A close election in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region, to be held on Sunday, could deal a blow to the country’s conservative opposition leadership and cost it a traditional stronghold.
The Popular Party (PP) has ruled Galicia since 2009 and has held four previous elections under Alberto Nuñez Feijó, who left the countryside of about 2.7 million people to become national party leader in 2022. Both won a majority.
Initial polls published in January suggested the PP was on track for further victories, but the party could then lose an absolute majority in the 75-seat regional parliament. The election campaign is heating up as research suggests this is the case.
That would open the door to a coalition between the fast-growing left-wing nationalist party BNG and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party. Both parties govern at the national level in small coalitions that rely on support from smaller regional parties to pass legislation.
The election comes after Mr. Feijoo voted last weekend in favor of granting a conditional pardon to former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont over his role in Catalonia’s failed 2017 push for independence. The announcement came amid criticism for “24 Hours”, which also reviewed the policies of the autonomous region of Catalonia. Grant amnesty to Separatists before removing them.
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 polling firm 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. Ta.
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 “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.
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