Spain’s main opposition conservative party united with the far right to secure its leader’s re-election in the region of Aragon on Wednesday, their latest alliance before next year’s general election.
Regions wield significant powers in key areas such as health, education and housing in Spain’s decentralised political system, making the deal a potential bellwether for the national vote.
Jorge Azcon of the Popular Party (PP) was re-elected for another term as the northeastern region’s leader, thanks to support from the far-right group Vox.
A beaming Azcon shook hands with Vox’s representative in Aragon, Alejandro Nolasco, following a debate and vote in the regional parliament.
The PP had won February’s regional elections, defeating a former minister and spokeswoman of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government, Pilar Alegria, but fell short of a majority.
That obliged them to negotiate with Vox before successfully forming a new government in Aragon, a scenario that also played out in the western region of Extremadura last week.
In 2024, Vox withdrew from five regional governments where it had been in coalition with the PP, citing a dispute over the distribution of unaccompanied migrant minors.
But the parties have patched up disagreements at the regional level and continue to negotiate following elections in the northwestern region of Castile and Leon, where the PP needs Vox to reach a majority.
Sanchez told parliament in Madrid on Wednesday that a PP-Vox agreement on “national priority” in its regional governments “is nothing but xenophobia, racism, segregation and confrontation”.
The outcome of this renewed attempt at governing together will likely be closely watched by voters ahead of the next national election, which Sanchez must call by mid-2027.
Most polls suggest the PP would win but would need Vox’s support to form a governing majority in Spain’s increasingly fragmented parliament.
(cm)
Source:
www.euractiv.com