Spain elects a new parliament. The Conservatives can replace Pedro Sánchez’s Social Democrats – but need help from the far right. How do voters decide?
- Spain chooses: On Sunday, July 23, 37.4 million eligible voters will be able to vote on Parliament.
- Recent polls: According to surveys, Pedro Sánchez and his PSOE are losing the majority in Spain.
MADRID – If you ask incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish elections on Sunday, July 23, are about the country “not being thrown back by five, ten or even forty years”. According to the Social Democrats’ lead candidate PSOE, the election is a choice “between those who have worked day and night to protect citizens and those who have devoted themselves to destruction and lies”.
House of Representatives and Senate |
July 23, 2023 |
9 a.m. to 8 p.m |
37.4 million |
Right-wing extremists from Vox are aiming for government after Spain’s elections
The Social Democrats under Sánchez are under pressure: They could lose their status as the strongest party in Spain to the conservative PP in the parliamentary elections – and with them the government. The PP, on the other hand, wants to make its candidate Alberto Núñez Feijóo prime minister. Since grand coalitions of conservatives and social democrats are unthinkable in Spain and the social democrats do not want to tolerate a conservative minority government, only the far-right Vox party can be considered as a coalition partner. Feijóo has not ruled out the coalition and wants to talk to the far right after the Spanish elections.
Conservatives and far-right election campaign issues include sex law reform, which has resulted in sex offenders being released from prison earlier, and the high national debt. Vox also focuses on an anti-feminist agenda, wants to take tougher action against separatist tendencies and reform the state structure.
Who is leading in the last polls ahead of the Spanish elections?
In polls ahead of the Spanish parliamentary elections, the Conservatives are clearly ahead. The PSOE loses compared to 2019. The left-wing collection movement Sumar, to which Podemos also belongs, and Vox take third place among themselves. Small parties with regional roots also have a good chance of entering the House of Representatives. Since they tolerate the previous minority government of PSOE and Podemos, they are likely to play a decisive role in forming a government after this election. Sánchez can therefore still hope.
pp | 33.7 |
PSOE | 27.9 |
vox | 13.4 |
Sumar | 13.3 |
ERC | 2.2 |
JxC | 2.0 |
PM | 1.3 |
EHB | 1.3 |
Other | 4.9 |
Source: PolitPro analysis of various polls |
In the Spanish election, the 350 seats in the House of Representatives, the more important chamber of parliament, will be reassigned. Its deputies also elect the prime minister. In parliamentary elections, seats are allocated according to the principle of proportional representation. However, mandates are awarded at the constituency level, which corresponds to the 50 regions. This means that large and regionally rooted parties have advantages.
When are there projections and results of the Spain election?
The polling stations are open on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The first forecasts and projections for the Spanish election are only available after 8 p.m. Meaningful results can only be expected during the night and in the following days. (ms/dpa)
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