Spain: Prime Minister Calls Early General Election After Setback

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday announced an early general election scheduled for July 23, following a significant setback for his party in local and regional polls.

Sanchez informed King Felipe VI of his decision to dissolve parliament.

The move comes in response to the recent electoral losses suffered by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and its junior ally Podemos, while the conservative People's Party (PP) and far-right party Vox made gains.

The regional polls, viewed as a precursor to the anticipated general election later this year, showed a shift in voter sentiment.

In the municipal poll, the PP emerged victorious with 31.5 per cent of the votes, compared to the Socialists' 28.2 per cent.

This marked a decrease of 1.2 percentage points for PSOE since 2019, while the PP experienced an almost nine-point increase, benefitting from the collapse of the centrist Citizens Party.

The PP triumphed in seven of the 12 regions contested and gained dominance in previously PSOE-held regions, including Valencia, Aragon, and La Rioja. Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the local leader of the PP, secured a majority in the highly populated Madrid region.