Spanish PM Takes a Beating As Socialists Crushed in Galician Elections
EuropeanconservativeFeb 15
Spain: Conservative Opposition Retains Majority in Galicia
The Facts
Spain’s conservative People’s Party (PP) managed to preserve its outright majority in the northwest Galicia's regional election on Sunday, frustrating hopes from Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that an improved economic performance would boost his party's performance.
The right-wing party, which has held an absolute majority in the 75-member Galician Parliament uninterruptedly since 2009, won 40 seats, trailed by the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG), which won 25 seats, and the Socialist Party with nine.
The Spin
Right narrative
This overwhelming victory sends a clear message to the ruling Socialists that Spaniards will not be bullied or pushed around, marking just the first ripple in a massive wave that will unseat the party in response to its unconstitutional amnesty for Catalan separatists. However, it's concerning to note that their self-destruction will empower the most radical separatist elements in the country.
Left narrative
Despite the prevailing narratives, the Socialists did not perform poorly in Galicia due to the amnesty to Catalan separatists, as Feijóo himself had expressed support for that move. Winning in conservative Galicia was always going to be an uphill battle and the emergence of the BNG made it harder for the Socialists to secure seats. The election wasn’t great for the party, but the media needs to stop misrepresenting the cause of the results.
Nerd narrative
There's a 5% chance that Spain will announce a snap general election before March 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.