A southernmost autonomous community in peninsular Spain holds a lot of significance as it is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. Elections in such a community are surely a subject of discussion. Left-wing parties in the country take a drubbing as the right-wing, Conservative-people’s party wins an unprecedented majority in Andalusia.
Spain’s conservative People’s Party has won an emphatic majority in the regional elections in Andalusia. The centre-right Partido Popular (EPP) has created history by winning 43.1% (+22.4 with 2018) and an absolute majority in the 109-seat Andalusian parliament. This gave a severe blow to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ahead of the national elections in 2023. Citing the poll results and the big failure of the left bloc it can be said that Andalusians have shifted slightly to the right in recent years. This can be attributed to the lack of recognisable leadership and fragmentation among the parties on the left. This is a blow to the Socialists who have been governing the country for 37 years.
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“The big failure here belongs to the left bloc,” said Juan Montabes Pereira, a political science professor at the University of Granada. “This is a blow to the Socialists who until 2018 had governed the region for 37 years,” he added.
The unprecedented win of Spain’s conservative People’s party frees it from relying on the far-right Vox party to govern in the country’s most populous region.
Epiphany for the ruling elites
The centre-right Partido Popular (PP) has dominated the region until the late 2000s. The party dropped to its worst regional election result in Andalusia (24.1%, 27.9% in 2018). Polling suggests that the Andalusians are slightly losing interest in the party’s policies. The party is pro-Ukraine and its heavy involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has angered people. This suggests that the people of Andalusia expect the government to think of their country’s welfare first.
Well, this can even be attributed to the rising inflation in the country and also to the suspension of the trade ties between Spain with Algeria.
Food, petrol price hike in Spain
The food and petrol prices in Spain are soaring, pushing up inflation to 8.7% in the country in May, according to the preliminary data published by the country’s Statistical Institute (INE). Last week in Spain, the fuel prices reached a record high of 1.94 euros per litre, while the cost of diesel was 1.867 euros per litre. These price hikes are partly caused by the Ukraine war.
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Algeria suspended trade ties with Spain
Algeria has suspended its foreign trade in products and services over the escalating issue of the Western Sahara dispute. The North African nation suspended a 20-year-old friendship treaty with Spain under which the two sides were committed to cooperation in controlling migration flows. Imports have also been banned from Spain. Algeria has been threatening its trade ties, including the continued supply of natural gas. Algeria being Spain’s third-largest client, gave a serious blow to Spanish exporters by suspending trade ties with the country.
Andalusians have lost their hopes with the left bloc of the nation and now started supporting the right-wing conservative People’s Party. These polling results should be an epiphany for the ruling elites in Spain.
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