Mañueco offers to dialogue with everyone, but for “a stable government” that gives stability to Spain
The bad omens were fulfilled. The PP won the elections in Castilla y León this Sunday but fell far short of the absolute majority with which it intended to emulate the success achieved by Isabel Díaz Ayuso in Madrid. What was going to become a mere procedure to revalidate the Board and govern without ties, achieving more seats than the rest of the parties together, except for Vox, has ended up turning against him. With 31 seats and 31.44% of the votes, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco will need the formation of Santiago Abascal to retain the regional government. A severe setback for the aspirations of Pablo Casado in the face of general elections, since a coalition government with the extreme right would weigh down his expectations.
In the national leadership, however, they put on a blindfold and insist that this result confirms that “the change of cycle in Spain is unstoppable.” Neither Casado nor those around him seem willing to throw themselves into Vox’s arms, at least for now, and open the door to explore “other ways.” The popular ones could try to amalgamate the representatives of the Empty Spain (Soria ¡Ya!, Unión del Pueblo Leonés and Por Ávila) with those who have 38 seats and thus challenge Vox to abstain or, otherwise, to align with the left.
But the support of those of Abascal will not be “free” and they have already warned that, with the results obtained this Sunday, they have the “obligation” to form a government. “The mandate is clear,” said the leader of Vox, who placed his candidate, Juan García-Gallardo, as the next vice president of the Junta de Castilla y Léon.
The advance of the radical right has capped the expectations of the conservatives, who have barely improved their result compared to the May 2019 elections by two seats. Nor have they managed to transfer the votes of Ciudadanos to their acronym that occurred in Madrid on 4-M, nor bury the formation of Inés Arrimadas, who manages to save the seat of the former vice president of the Board, Francisco Igea.
Mission accomplished
Despite not having met the expectations of the popular leadership, they insist on selling the result as a victory against the PSOE, “the great loser of the elections” since it would become the second political force and “loses in all the provinces.” «The PP has won the elections. These are the elections of the accomplished mission”, asserted Secretary General Teodoro García Egea.
The PP is certain that it will govern in the region and for this reason it considers the objective of the electoral advance to be fulfilled: that the left does not govern, because according to the popular it was preparing a motion of censure “Murcian style”. The intention now is to form “a Government without ties to fulfill the program, the ideas and the project” of the popular ones.
Mañueco pointed out that he is “very satisfied with the result” obtained and showed his willingness to “dialogue with everyone.” “I am going to dialogue with everyone to form a government of all and for all,” said the popular leader.
The electoral marker can alter the plans of Juanma Moreno in Andalusia, who could keep the electoral advance in this community in a drawer until October. It will also return to the spotlight a crisis voluntarily parked during the campaign: the date of the PP congress in Madrid.