SPANJE
Speels Spaans extreem-rechts kingmaker in verkiezingen?
June 23, 2023 - As Spaniards prepare to vote in a snap election, polls suggest the conservative People’s Party will win more votes than the ruling Socialists in the general election, but will need the help of the far-right Vox party to form a government.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was forced to bring forward Spain’s general election after regional and local elections held on May 28 saw the mainstream right-wing Partido Popular party (PP) make huge nationwide gains.
While polls indicate that the PP will again be Spain’s most-voted party come July’s general election, they also consistently show the PP will not capture an overall majority of parliamentary seats – likely making Vox the first far-right party since Franco’s dictatorship to enter the national government.
The rise of Vox is part of an increasing trend across Europe of hard-right parties surging in popularity and, in some cases, gaining power by entering governments as junior partners.