Voting starts in Spain's snap elections; could see the rise of right wing to power
Jul 23, 2023
Madrid [Spain], July 23 : Spain's general election, which might go down to the wire, begins with the possibility of a far-right government, reported Al Jazeera.
Most surveys and analysts predict that Alberto Nunez Feijoo's conservative Popular Party (PP) will win the election, although unexpected results may be in store.
According to experts, the 350-seat parliament's final outcome is expected to be decided by fewer than a million votes and fewer than 10 seats.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a snap election following the Left's poor performance in the local and regional elections held in May.
The far-right Vox party will need to join forces with the centre-right Partido Popular (PP) party in order to form a government, marking the first time a far-right party has held office since Francisco Franco's dictatorship ended in the 1970s.
On Spain's mainland, 37.4 million eligible Spaniards can vote on Sunday, as per Al Jazeera. Along with 208 of the 265 seats in the upper house, all 350 seats in the lower house of parliament will be up for election. In contrast to the upper house, where voters can select up to three regional senators, voters for the lower house must choose a party rather than a single candidate.
The winner will have three weeks to formally constitute their government, and King Felipe VI will meet party leaders to designate a candidate.
Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister, arrived at a polling station (08:01 GMT) in Madrid to cast his ballot in Sunday's snap election.
Right-wing PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo and Santiago Abascal of the Vox party also cast their ballots at polling stations in Madrid (9:59 GMT).
While Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the leader of the right-wing PP, is heavily favoured in the polls, his party is not anticipated to achieve a majority, according to Al Jazeera.
For PP, it would entail forming a coalition government with the extreme right-wing Vox party.
A potential PP-Vox government would represent a significant rightward shift for another EU member, continuing a recent trend in Sweden, Finland, and Italy.
However, nations like Germany and France are worried about the potential impact of the change on EU immigration and climate policies, Al Jazeera reported.
