Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s People’s Party is leading Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party ahead of Spain’s snap parliamentary elections on November 29. The latest 40dB. poll for “El País” and “Cadena SER” gives the conservatives 31.9%, compared with 29.9% for the PSOE.
Vox is third, with 18% of voting intentions. According to the 40dB. projection, the People’s Party would win between 124 and 137 seats, the PSOE between 115 and 123, and Vox between 58 and 64. This would give the two right-wing formations between 182 and 201 seats in the 350-member Congress of Deputies, with 176 needed for an absolute majority.
Differences between the polls remain significant
The latest private polls generally place the People’s Party in first place, but the size of its lead varies. In a GAD3 poll for “ABC”, the conservatives receive 31.9%, while the Socialists receive 25.9%. An NC Report survey shows an even larger gap–34.1% for the People’s Party compared with 25% for the PSOE.
The picture differs sharply from that shown in the October barometer of the government’s Centre for Sociological Research. It places the PSOE first with 34%, ahead of the People’s Party with 22.2% and Vox with 17.1%. The survey was conducted in early October and, according to “El País”, differs from most private polls published after the elections were called.
The vote was called after a dispute over housing policy
Sánchez announced the snap election on October 5, after parliament rejected government proposals related to the housing crisis. The issue of affordable housing has sparked protests across the country and is expected to be among the main issues in the campaign.
The prime minister is presenting the election as a clash between a centre-left course and the possible participation of the far right in government. “It is time for the Spanish people to decide what future they want for themselves and for their country,” Sánchez said, quoted by the Associated Press. Feijóo, for his part, said: “At last, the Spanish people will decide,” describing the vote as a choice for Spain’s future and against what Sánchez represents.
The outcome depends not only on which party comes first, but also on the distribution of seats between the People’s Party and Vox. If projections of a right-wing parliamentary bloc are confirmed, the two formations will be able to try to form a government without support from other parties. The Socialists will have to rely on left-wing and regional partners to retain a governing majority.
Sources: elpais.com, cadenaser.com, apnews.com