Spanish conservative leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo won the most seats in Sunday’s election and is on track to govern with the support of the far-right group Vox, according to opinion polls.
Feijoo’s People’s Party is set to claim about 150 seats in the 350-strong parliament while Vox will get around 31, according to a survey by GAD3, which was published when voting closed at 8 pm in Madrid. The Socialists were set to win 112 seats.
That result would bring down the curtain on five years of Socialist government under Pedro Sanchez and add momentum to the conservative shift across Europe. Giorgia Meloni’s victory in Italy last year marked a breakthrough for the far-right while Finland’s new center-right government is also backed by nationalists while support for the AfD is surging in Germany.
While both parties share mostly liberal economic views, Vox would push PP to take a harder line on hot-button issues like LGBTQ rights and the environment.
“In a coalition government, Vox will probably not get all the extreme and controversial measures it wants, but it will have influence and push policies further to the right,” said Ramon Mateo, director of policy for Madrid-based consultancy BeBartlet. “They will focus on reversing what they see as progressive policies in agriculture, security, culture and education.”
A second poll by Sigma Dos for Spain’s state broadcaster suggested that the result could still be tight. If projected that the PP will get between 145 and 150 seats with Vox getting between 24 and 27. If the two parties fall short of an absolute majority, they may struggle to win additional support and Spain could be heading for extended gridlock.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal has already warned he wants a tougher stance against regional separatists, especially the Catalan politicians who six years ago attempted to break away from Spain.
Feijoo has promised to shutter the Ministry for Equality and to repeal a trans-rights law that made it easier for anyone over the age of 16 to change gender in official documents.
Feijoo, a 61-year-old career politician, needs to convince Vox to support him or abstain in an investiture vote in parliament expected in the coming weeks. Feijoo would need 176 votes to win the initial investiture vote, but only a simple majority in a second ballot 48 hours later.
--With assistance from Zoe Schneeweiss.
