Local elections a crucial test for Premier Sanchez
BARCELONA: Spaniards went to the polls yesterday to pick thousands of city and regional representatives in a vote seen as the bellwether of a general election in December that will pit Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez against right-wing People’s Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo.
Mr Sanchez is looking to hold onto key battlegrounds such as the region of Valencia and regain control of electoral bastion Barcelona, which was lost during Europe’s debt crisis and would vindicate his strategy of rapprochement with Catalan separatists.
Recent polls show Mr Feijoo’s Populars are close to flipping some regions, however, as well as tightening their grip on Spain’s richest area, which includes Madrid.
“If Sanchez isn’t able to reclaim Barcelona and loses Valencia, his government will likely start a process of decay as the prospects of winning the general vote sour,” said Manuel Mostaza, head of public affairs at Madrid-based consultancy Atrevia.
A more resilient-than-expected economy could help Mr Sanchez. He fanfares falling unemployment as a key achievement of his administration, which has shelled out billions to protect businesses during the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine. The pace of inflation in the euro zone’s fourth-largest economy is about half that of the currency bloc overall, and food cost rises also slowed sharply last month, although they remain stubbornly high.
Mr Sanchez has introduced a range of measures including discounts on train fares for the young, cheap cinema tickets for the elderly, and investment in mental health, as he tries to brandish his Socialist credentials. He has also placed access to housing at the center of his campaign, having introduced loan guarantees for young people trying to buy homes.
Key wins yesterday would boost the 51-year-old’s chances of reelection to pursue pro-European Union policies that have made him a key voice of the liberal left on the continent.
Mr Feijoo has accused the PM of opportunism, meanwhile, and has attacked him over a spreading votebuying scandal involving some candidates from his party and allies. Police detained at least nine people in the Spanish enclave of Melilla, in Africa, earlier this month for alleged election fraud, as well as two Socialist candidates over similar allegations in a town in southeastern Spain.