Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez failed to bolster his chances of re-election after a lackluster performance in the only debate with his main rival, opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo.
The majority of the event featured the two men raising their voices to interrupt each other and accusing the other of lying while avoiding detailed policy discussions. Sanchez appeared at times more like a challenger than an incumbent and repeatedly implored moderators let him speak as Feijoo set the pace for most of the evening. This was a reversal from previous face-offs in the senate, where Feijoo often seemed unprepared and disorganized.
The prime minister walked into the debate in need of a win to boost his weak showing in polls and to win back former Socialist voters who had chosen to support Feijoo and his conservative People’s Party. Instead, it was Feijoo, already leading polls by a significant margin, who appeared to leave with the upper hand.
Feijoo, 61, sought to focus on relationship between Sanchez’s Socialists and Basque and Catalan separatists. He accused Sanchez of misleading voters on Spain’s economic performance and attacked the premier extensively over a sexual consent law that had the unintended consequence of leading to the release of scores of sexual abusers. That law has since been reformed.
“What will always haunt you is that there are 117 rapists out on the street, and that there are more than 1,050 pedophiles and rapists whose sentences have been reduced,” said Feijoo. “This was a bad law from a terrible government.”
Feijoo also took aim at the prime minister’s arguments about Spain’s economic footing. Claiming that the economy is running at full steam “is disrespectful to Spaniards,” he said.
The opposition leader says he wants to form a one-party government but polls show that in order to become prime minister he will most likely need to create a coalition with the hard-right Vox party in Spain’s 350-member parliament. While Sanchez has made gains in recent weeks, he is still far behind his main rival.
Sanchez, 51, tried to focus on the alliances that Feijoo’s People Party has made with Vox in many local and regional governments, although Feijoo avoided being dragged into the discussion. The premier stressed that Vox is seeking to roll back gender parity and gay rights.
Local coalition governments made up of Vox and the PP have already generated controversy through measures such as banning Walt Disney Co.’s animated film “Lightyear” for featuring a same-sex kiss.
“You are surrendering to sexism, that is what you are doing with these shameful agreements you are signing with Vox,” said a visibly irritated Sanchez. “I’m angry that you are governing with Vox. PP and Vox are the same thing.”
(Updates with description of the debate in third paragraph.)
