The election campaign in Spain has kicked off with the first rallies of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the leader of the main opposition party, the Popular Party, Alberto Nunes Feijó. Early parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 29th.
The vote was called after parliament rejected two government bills on housing. Sanchez's decision came amid mass protests against the housing crisis and demands for better protection for tenants.
Sanchez puts housing at the heart of campaign
The prime minister, who has been in power for eight years, will make his first campaign trip to Andalusia. He will return to the Seville suburb where he launched his campaign in 2023. Then, despite unfavorable forecasts, the socialist managed to retain power.
“Spain needs more social progress and less insults from the right“, said Sanchez. He intends to emphasize social benefits, including “a ban on forced evictions“.
In several Spanish cities, especially in the center of Madrid, activists continue to maintain tent camps demanding better protection for tenants. The housing crisis and the cost of living are expected to be among the main topics at the start of the campaign.
Feijó focuses his messages on migration
Alberto Nunez Feijó will speak at the same time in Madrid. The leader of the Popular Party is expected to criticize Sanchez again for his approach to the migration crisis in Ceuta.
At the end of July, more than 70,000 migrants entered the Spanish exclave, with the vast majority of them subsequently returning to Morocco. During his visit to Ceuta, Feijó described the city as a “symbol of the decline, corruption and dishonesty in which the country has sunk“ under Sanchez's rule, and called for “profound change“.
Spain's major unions have called for a general strike on November 11. It would be the first strike of its kind in the country since 2012.
Popular Party leads in the polls
Nearly 39 million Spaniards are eligible to vote in the elections. Sociological surveys give the People's Party a lead over the Socialists, but not an absolute majority.
With such a result, the far-right party “Vox“, which is the third largest political force in the country and is gaining popularity in surveys, could prove to be a decisive factor in forming the future government.