The Spanish Prime Minister’s Socialist Party fell slightly behind the conservative Popular Party (PP) in the recent European election, as per an early exit poll. The survey, conducted by Sigma Dos for the national TV station RTVE, declared on completion of voting across most of Spain that the Socialists were expected to get 20-22 seats, down by one from 2019. In contrast, the PP increased its 2019 tally of 13 to secure between 21-23 seats in this election.
The PP leveraged the downfall of its smaller competitor, the Ciudadanos party, for its gains. However, its ambition to deal a severe blow to the Socialists by making the election a referendum on Prime Minister Sánchez seemed to have been suppressed.
Gains were made by the far-right Vox with an expected 6-7 seats, while the left-wing Sumar alliance, a junior member of the coalition government embarking on its inaugural EU election, should have secured 3-4 seats. Still, its opponent, Podemos, apparently suffered backlash with expected winnings limited to 2-3 seats.
A newly minted far-right party ‘Se Acabó la Fiesta’ (The Party’s Over), helmed by internet conspiracy advocate Alvise Pérez, bagged between 2-3 seats. Conversely, Puigdemont’s pro-independence Together for Catalonia (JxCat) party wrestled with losses which left them with only one seat, based on the poll’s results.
Ahead of the election, the left had cautioned about the rising far-right menace, within Spain and the wider continent. Prime Minister Sánchez, after voting in Madrid, emphasised the election as a choice between a Europe committed to solidarity in the face of challenges and crises, and a backward Europe governed by cuts.
This statement was slammed by Jorge Buxadé, candidate of the far-right Vox party, who labelled it as “reprehensible” and a provocation to political violence.
In the lead-up to the election, the focus was primarily on internal affairs. The Spanish legislature signed off on a provocative amnesty law for Catalan nationalists, which became a key contention point in the political discourse. Critics contend that the law breaches the constitution and accuse Mr. Sánchez’s administration of introducing it simply to secure the endorsement of Catalan nationalist factions in the assembly.
Political drama continued to unfold when Begoña Gómez, Mr Sánchez’s spouse, became the subject of a judicial inquiry over corruption accusations, which greatly influenced the pre-election mood. The government contends that this probe is a politically motivated attack from the right and were taken aback when the presiding judge disclosed a court summons for Mrs Gómez in the following month during the campaign’s final week.
In Portugal, preliminary polls suggested a closely contested race between the Socialist Party and the centre-right Democratic Alliance. The Portuguese general election, which happened just three months prior to the European ballot, produced a shaky, centre-right government. The government’s harshened rules for foreigners seeking residency featured heavily during the campaign, owing to the recent legislation. The strict stance towards immigration is highly prioritised by the far-right Chega, which, according to exit polls, is on an even footing with the Liberal Initiative (IL).