Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Spain election: Support for Socialists and far-right grows, polls show

Coalition of three right-wing parties would fall short of a majority in parliament

Tom Batchelor
Wednesday 13 March 2019 11:14 EDT
Comments
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, at a rally in A Coruna, Galicia
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, at a rally in A Coruna, Galicia (EPA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Support for Spain's socialist party has grown sharply in recent months alongside a rise in popularity for the far-right, a poll of polls ahead of next month's snap election shows.

According to the El Pais calculation, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's left-wing party is on course to win 27.3 per cent of the vote, giving the socialists a projected 113 seats.

But with little more than six weeks to go, the poll of polls showed the far-right Vox party also gaining sharply with a 12.1 per cent vote share.

Vox currently holds no seats in the Spanish parliament and an outcome similar to the poll projection would be regarded as a significant victory for the party, which stands on an anti-immigrant platform.

The snap election was called in February after Mr Sanchez’s budget was voted down.

The vote, the third in under four years, is a further sign of an increasingly fragmented political scene, with Catalonia‘s independence push dominating recent debate.

Mr Sanchez took office after ousting his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in June last year, when he won a no-confidence vote triggered by a damaging corruption conviction affecting the main conservative opposition People’s Party (PP).

But the simple majority of Socialists, anti-austerity and regional nationalist parties that united at the time against Mr Rajoy crumbled in February after Mr Sanchez refused to accept talks over Catalonia’s self-determination as part of the ongoing dialogue with separatists.

To win an outright parliamentary majority on 28 April, any one party needs to secure at least 176 seats.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

The projection – taken as an average of dozens opinion polls - shows the socialists and the far-left platform Podemos (on 13.8 per cent, or 36 seats) together would reach 149 seats – 27 seats short and leaving them to rely on the support of smaller, regional parties to form a majority government.

The PP saw its support drop to 20 per cent, or roughly 75 seats, in the polls.

And with the centre-right Ciudadanos also falling to 16.3 per cent, or 58 seats, even a coalition of the three right-wing parties would fall short of a majority in parliament.

Additional reporting by agencies

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in