A one-minute guide to Spain's national election
Life is busy, and the media (us included) have been harping on about Spain’s general election for a month. Start the clock, this 60-second paywall-free guide is all you need to not be completely clueless about what’s happening.
Spain’s centre-right Partido Popular (PP) is expected to win July 23rd's national election and if the polls are right their leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo will become the country's new Prime Minister.
The PP is unlikely to get an absolute majority so they’ll probably need far-right Vox to govern (their leader Abascal could be the new deputy PM).
If that happens, it’ll be the first time since Franco’s dictatorship that a party with neofascist policies is in power in Spain. Not great news for foreigners either.
It will most likely mean problems in Catalonia again and that progressive/divisive laws introduced by the current left-wing government get scrapped (Franco victims' exhumations, transgender rights and sexual consent law, for example).
The right have used a catchy slogan (Que te vote Txapote) and buzzword (Sanchismo) to discredit Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his alleged links to separatists, so-called radical feminists, communists and terrorists.
Sánchez’s Socialists got battered by the right in regional and local elections in May, that’s why Sánchez called a snap election.
It’s the first summer general election in Spain’s history, hence the record number of postal votes as many Spaniards are on holiday (this has also led to voter fraud conspiracy theories).
Spain’s stronger economy isn’t winning Sánchez votes and his coalition with hard-left Podemos has harmed his chances of re-election. But he still wants/needs another coalition government with new hard-left party Sumar, who want to give Spaniards €20,000 when they turn 18.
Spain’s likely new Prime Minister Alberto Núñez Feijóo has a hard name to pronounce for foreigners, he doesn’t speak any English, he's a bit dry, he was a no-show at the last crucial debate and the left accuse him of being friends with a drug lord.
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Spain’s centre-right Partido Popular (PP) is expected to win July 23rd's national election and if the polls are right their leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo will become the country's new Prime Minister.
The PP is unlikely to get an absolute majority so they’ll probably need far-right Vox to govern (their leader Abascal could be the new deputy PM).
If that happens, it’ll be the first time since Franco’s dictatorship that a party with neofascist policies is in power in Spain. Not great news for foreigners either.
It will most likely mean problems in Catalonia again and that progressive/divisive laws introduced by the current left-wing government get scrapped (Franco victims' exhumations, transgender rights and sexual consent law, for example).
The right have used a catchy slogan (Que te vote Txapote) and buzzword (Sanchismo) to discredit Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his alleged links to separatists, so-called radical feminists, communists and terrorists.
Sánchez’s Socialists got battered by the right in regional and local elections in May, that’s why Sánchez called a snap election.
It’s the first summer general election in Spain’s history, hence the record number of postal votes as many Spaniards are on holiday (this has also led to voter fraud conspiracy theories).
Spain’s stronger economy isn’t winning Sánchez votes and his coalition with hard-left Podemos has harmed his chances of re-election. But he still wants/needs another coalition government with new hard-left party Sumar, who want to give Spaniards €20,000 when they turn 18.
Spain’s likely new Prime Minister Alberto Núñez Feijóo has a hard name to pronounce for foreigners, he doesn’t speak any English, he's a bit dry, he was a no-show at the last crucial debate and the left accuse him of being friends with a drug lord.
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