Spanish Conservatives Set to Oust Socialists Amid Scandals
A new poll shows Spain's Socialist government could lose to a centre-right coalition of the People's Party and VOX, which together would win 201 of 176 seats needed for a majority.
The scandal-plagued Socialist government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faces a mounting threat of electoral defeat, with fresh polling indicating a potential victory for a centre-right coalition if voters went to the polls today.
According to a new survey conducted by GAD3, as reported by Breitbart News, the ruling Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) has seen its support collapse amid a cascade of corruption allegations and policy controversies. The poll suggests the governing coalition would be replaced by an alliance between the centre-right People’s Party and the populist VOX movement.
The survey projects that the PSOE would secure only 107 parliamentary seats in a hypothetical election, a significant drop from the 121 seats the party won in 2023 and well short of the 176 required for a majority in Spain’s parliament.
The centre-right People’s Party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo is forecast to remain the largest single party with 141 seats, up from 137 in the previous election. But the most dramatic shift in the political landscape would come from Santiago Abascal’s VOX party, which is projected to nearly double its parliamentary representation from 33 to 60 seats.
Combined, the two right-wing parties would command a majority of 201 seats, enough to block Sánchez from assembling another minority government with support from far-left and regional separatist factions, the strategy he employed after finishing second behind the People’s Party in 2023.
Whether such a coalition would materialize remains uncertain. While the People’s Party and VOX have cooperated in regional governments across Spain, they have never formed a partnership at the national level. Feijóo has characterized VOX as occupying a position to the right of his own party, though he has notably declined to impose the kind of cordon sanitaire that establishment parties in other European nations have used to exclude populist movements such as Germany’s AfD.
The People’s Party leader has repeatedly stated his preference to govern without VOX support. Meanwhile, Abascal has been sharply critical of Feijóo, accusing him of insufficient resolve in confronting the Socialists and of weakness on immigration enforcement and climate policy.
Another option for Feijóo would be to mirror Sánchez’s approach by forming a minority government with backing from right-leaning separatist parties, including the pro-Catalan independence Junts movement.
Cascade of Scandals
The polling represents yet another setback for Sánchez, whose government has been battered by multiple corruption investigations in recent weeks. Former Prime Minister and party elder José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero now faces charges of influence peddling and money laundering, with authorities reportedly discovering hundreds of thousands of euros in cash and jewelry in the possession of the former leader and his associates.
The crisis deepened further when a specialized police unit raided Socialist party headquarters in Madrid last week. Investigators are examining allegations that the governing party attempted to obstruct judicial proceedings against its own members. Separately, Sánchez’s wife faces accusations of leveraging her position to secure favorable government contracts for business associates.
Immigration and Foreign Policy Controversies
The government has also drawn fierce criticism for its decision to unilaterally grant amnesty to hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants without legislative approval, despite polling showing that a majority of Spanish voters view illegal immigration as the nation’s primary threat.
On the international stage, the Sánchez administration faces potential consequences from both Washington and Brussels. The White House has suggested Spain could face expulsion from NATO after Madrid refused to allow American military assets to use Spanish bases during the recent conflict with Iran. Additionally, the Spanish government faces possible European Union sanctions over allegations that it diverted coronavirus relief funds intended for economic recovery into domestic welfare programs.
With information from Breitbart News
