{"id":32701,"date":"2023-07-22T09:08:30","date_gmt":"2023-07-22T09:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=32701"},"modified":"2023-07-22T09:08:38","modified_gmt":"2023-07-22T09:08:38","slug":"the-spanish-general-elections-favored-the-return-of-the-extreme-right-for-the-first-time-since-franco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/?p=32701","title":{"rendered":"The Spanish general elections favored the return of the extreme right for the first time since Franco"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p>MADRID (AP) &#8211; The voters <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">Spain is going to vote on Sunday<\/span> in an election that could make the country the last member of the European Union to turn to the populist right, a change that would mean a major upheaval after five years under a left-wing government.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what you need to know about voting.<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<h2>WHAT IS AT STAKE?<\/h2>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Spain\u2019s conservatives put trust in Feij\u00f3o, the boring guy who wins every election by a landslide\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/spain-election-feijoo-profile-popular-party-a0516c3487b92b8aab02e441909b7451\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>        Those who know him in Spain say that Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o does not enter a political battle if he does not have almost every chance of winning.\n    <\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Prime Minister and Socialist candidate Pedro Sanchez arrives at a live televised debate ahead of the Spanish general election in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Sunday&#039;s Spanish election will be a battle between two left-wing and two right-wing parties coming together to form possible coalitions.  Pedro S\u00e1nchez, Spanish Prime Minister since 2018, faces re-election with the latest votes and most polls against him.  (AP Photo\/Bernat Armangue)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/1f1d3c0\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6124x3442+0+321\/resize\/500x281!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F01%2Ff9%2F0be6a42beaf4913b0746f0919977%2Fcb556d093daf42c5af7628bbeb2ec4d8\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>        Sunday&#8217;s Spanish election will be a battle between two left-wing and two right-wing parties coming together to form possible coalitions.\n    <\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"FILE - A partially damaged poster of Spanish Prime Minister and Socialist Party candidate Pedro S\u00e1nchez stands in Parla, outside Madrid, Spain, Friday, April 26, 2019. Most polls show the conservative Popular Party is set to win the polls and be in a position to form a coalition government with far-right party Vox in the July 23 general election.  But S\u00e1nchez has shown that he can achieve the unexpected.  (AP photo\/Bernat Armangue, file)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/136d1f8\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6223x3497+0+326\/resize\/500x281!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F57%2Fe3%2F5d5d64e9da522f611d3991eedeb4%2Fc51fca04cff14d42a20599dc44c9e31a\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>        After watching his Socialists panic in May&#8217;s local and regional elections, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez surprised his spirited rivals by bringing up the general election from December to this Sunday.\n    <\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"FILE - An election worker shows ballot papers to the media before they are distributed to polling stations, at a warehouse in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bSpain, July 18, 2023. Claims of electoral fraud and electoral fraud are spreading in Spain ahead of the country&#039;s crucial election on Sunday.  The allegations are strikingly similar to claims made by former President Donald Trump and others in the United States ahead of the 2020 election. (AP Photo\/Emilio Morenatti, File)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/0ba0e8f\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5000x2810+0+262\/resize\/500x281!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Fc7%2Fc3%2Fb2ce295c3098a42a319454b91f2a%2F0840ce0352fa43269f30572224237b3d\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>        Allegations of electoral fraud and electoral fraud are spreading in Spain ahead of the country&#8217;s crucial elections on Sunday.\n    <\/p>\n<p>Opinion polls indicate that the political right has an advantage in the elections, and this raises the possibility that a neo-fascist party will form part of Spain&#8217;s next government.  The extreme right has not been in power in Spain since the transition to democracy after the death of <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">former dictator Francisco Franco<\/span> in 1975.<\/p>\n<p>With no party expected to win an absolute majority, voters&#8217; choice is essentially between another left-wing governing coalition or one between the right and the far-right.<\/p>\n<p>The centre-right Popular Party, the favorite in the polls, and the far-right party Vox are on one side.  They are presenting the vote as an opportunity to end &#8220;Sanchism,&#8221; a term the PP uses to sum up what it says are Socialist Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez&#8217;s dictatorial ways, radical leftist ideology and the government&#8217;s many lies.<\/p>\n<p>In the other corner are the Socialists and a new movement called Sumar that brings together 15 small left-wing parties for the first time.  They warn that putting the right in power will threaten Spain&#8217;s post-Franco changes. <\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<h2>WHY WERE EARLY ELECTIONS CALLED?<\/h2>\n<p>socialist <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez<\/span> called the <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">early elections<\/span> a day after his Spanish Socialist Workers&#8217; Party and its small far-left coalition partner, Unides Podem (United We Can), were locked in a hammering. <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">local and regional elections<\/span> May 28 <\/p>\n<p>Before that, S\u00e1nchez had insisted that his four-year term would end, indicating that elections would be held in December.  But after May&#8217;s defeat, he said it is only fair that Spaniards decide the country&#8217;s political future without delay.<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<h2>WHAT HAPPENED SINCE MAY 28?<\/h2>\n<p>The Popular Party emerged from the local and regional elections as the most voted party by far, giving it the right to take office in all but a handful of municipalities and one or two regions. <\/p>\n<p>Since then, the PP and Vox have agreed to govern together in around 140 cities and towns as well as adding two more regions to the one where they already co-governed.<\/p>\n<p>The Socialists and other left-wing parties lost political strength across the country, but after overcoming the initial shock, have regrouped and regained some ground, leaving the outcome of Sunday&#8217;s vote still unknown.<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<h2>WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR EUROPE?<\/h2>\n<p>A PP-Vox government would mean another EU member has moved strongly to the right, a trend seen recently in Sweden, <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">Finland<\/span> and Italy  Countries such as Germany and France are concerned about what this change would mean for the EU&#8217;s climate and immigration policies.<\/p>\n<p>The two main left-wing parties in Spain are pro-EU participation.  On the right, the PP is also in favor of the EU, but Vox is not.<\/p>\n<p>The elections are coming while Spain is celebrating <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">Rotating presidency of the EU<\/span> S\u00e1nchez hoped to take advantage of the six-month mandate to show the progress his government had made.  An electoral defeat for S\u00e1nchez could make the PP take the reins of the EU presidency.<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<h2>WHAT ARE THE TOPICS OF THE CAMPAIGN?<\/h2>\n<p>The campaign has been dominated by extreme mudslinging from all sides, with left and right accusing each other of lying about their policies and past records.<\/p>\n<p>The PP has succeeded in questioning S\u00e1nchez&#8217;s respectability by highlighting the many U-turns he has made and his alliances with small regional secessionist parties, something that alienates even some left-wing voters.<\/p>\n<p>The left has wanted to convince voters that there is little difference between the two right-wing parties and that a victory for them would set Spain back decades in terms of social progress. <\/p>\n<p>Almost all polls have put the PP ahead of the Socialists and Vox ahead of Sumar for third place.  But it is said that 30% of the electorate is undecided.<\/p>\n<p>With the election taking place in the middle of summer, millions of citizens are likely to be on holiday away from their usual polling places.  But vote-by-mail requests have skyrocketed, and officials estimate voter turnout at 70 percent.<\/p>\n<h2>___<\/h2>\n<h2>IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A SURPRISE? <\/h2>\n<p>One surprise factor that could upset poll predictions is Add Up: the new broad-based movement of 15 small <span class=\"LinkEnhancement\">leftist parties<\/span>including Podemos and prominent social figures.<\/p>\n<p>Sumar is headed by the popular Minister of Labor, Yolanda D\u00edaz, who is also the second vice president and the only woman among the leaders of the four main parties. <\/p>\n<p>This is the first time that the small parties of the left are united in a joint ticket in Spain.  Their previous fragmentation was blamed for many of the municipal and regional losses in the May elections, and they hope that together they can make a bigger showing.<\/p>\n<p>Sumar&#8217;s big goal is to beat Vox for the potential third position.  This would allow Sumar to provide valuable support to another leftist coalition government.  Polls consistently suggested during the campaign that an absolute majority for Partit Popular and Vox is very possible.<\/p>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/spain-election-what-to-know-a9aff5b0b50863b5f512a4b8dd24a1d1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MADRID (AP) &#8211; The voters Spain is going to vote on Sunday in an election that could make the country the last member of the European Union to turn to the populist right, a change that would mean a major upheaval after five years under a left-wing government. Here&#8217;s what you need to know about voting. ___ WHAT IS AT STAKE? Those who know him in Spain say that Alberto N\u00fa\u00f1ez Feij\u00f3o does not enter a political battle if he does not have almost every chance of winning. Sunday&#8217;s Spanish election will be a battle between two left-wing and two&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":32702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32703,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32701\/revisions\/32703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news24feed.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}