Pedro Sánchez’s best political result, the April 2019 victory, the PSOE’s first in 11 years, began with a major right-wing mobilization in the streets of Madrid, the so-called Photo of Colón. It was Sunday, February 10, 2019. The motto “For a united Spain, now elections” was similar to this Saturday: “For Spain, democracy and the constitution”. On that Monday, February 11, Sánchez and his closest team decided on the date: April 28. And on Friday 15th, five days later, the President announced snap elections with a message similar to that in Valladolid yesterday: between the independentistas, who want to return to the process, and the right and extreme right, who are demanding an “exclusion clause”. . Spain, according to the president’s vision, the government offers a viable Spain.
In 2019, this image of Colón’s photo was a major mobilizer on the left. In 2023 it is unknown for now. But of course there is clear evidence that Alberto Núñez Feijóo fears a repeat: unlike Pablo Casado, he chose not to attend the protest despite sending members of his leadership.
The government is convinced that Feijóo will be enmeshed in his relationship with Vox throughout the year, as demonstrated by the anti-abortion controversy in Castilla y León. The municipalities will only increase this conflict if they believe in the executive because the PP has to share a lot of power with Vox. “Vox wins with the demonstration. And Feijóo doesn’t walk, but he doesn’t break either. More radicalism and more clarity for the government,” summarized in La Moncloa.
Nevertheless, the march also shows the enormous mobilization of the right and anti-sanchismo, which has become a very relevant political movement. “It is clear that the right is much more mobilized than the left. But that gives us a lot of room to grow,” sums up one minister.
It’s a classic scheme in Spanish politics: the right wing took to the streets a lot – against Zapatero, whom they accused of betraying Spain with ETA, and now against Sánchez, who they accuse of being a dictator – but they always run the risk of going too far and moving to the left. “The big question is how strong the anti-Sanchista party is. The PP alone does not manage to break. Feijóo is drained. Neither does Vox. citizens disappear. The opposition’s big bet is anti-sanchismo,” stressed one government official. PP leaders believe the elections will be a grand referendum on the president. And Sánchez, far from hiding, accepts the challenge.
Although this time there are not federal elections in April like in 2019, but in December, with a flying goal in the local elections in May, the election campaign is already absolutely unleashed and occupying everything. And Sánchez, who doesn’t start as a favourite, but is a real comeback specialist, has demonstrated all his strengths and, above all, his determination to fight in a single week.
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The socialist leader is perhaps the politician who adapts best to the mad rhythm of Spanish politics. In fact, it acts as one of the main agents of its acceleration. This week he has multiplied his activity. First, he began by exploiting one of his best assets against Feijóo, according to his team: his international agenda, with a trip to Davos where he met fifty of the top executives of multinationals and investment funds – including the almighty Larry Fink. of BlackRock—kindly photographed himself with the leadership of the Ibex 35, with whom he had maintained strong tension, and sent a message to the international business elite about the malfunctioning of the capitalist system, which is creating enormous injustices. The video of his tirade in English managed to go viral in progressive sectors.
Back in Madrid, on Wednesday, as soon as they landed, Sánchez’s team arranged a meeting with pensioners from Coslada, with whom they played pétanque, again with videos apparently made by themselves, but in reality very willing to show more closeness and, above all, to justify one of his major political decisions, the 8.5% increase in pensions, which only made itself felt this week with an average increase of 108 euros per month on pensioners’ payrolls.
The President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, launched an appeal in Davos, Switzerland, to prevent far-right parties from reaching the institutions and destroying the European Union from within, a “very real threat” that he says undermines support for the Conservatives has formations opening government doors to them during his address to the World Economic Forum plenary session this Tuesday. Photo: EFE/Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa
On Thursday, Sánchez again showed his penchant for risk and strong decisions. The long-prepared key summit with Emmanuel Macron, which puts relations with Spain and France on the level of the Franco-German axis, took place in Barcelona and no other quieter place. There was a risk that the Separatists could blow it up. But the opposite happened: the meeting showed a divided and demobilized pro-independence movement against a Sánchez bringing a summit of this level to Barcelona and promising more investments. And even next Tuesday he will end the week with a plenary session in Congress to present these international achievements and try to enmesh the PP with Vox again.
The President will make the most of the economic data, better than expected, and he has one more very positive decision to announce: raising the minimum wage. The government is still debating its amount – Yolanda Díaz is pushing for an increase from the high range of nearly €1,080 per month proposed by the experts – but it will undoubtedly be a significant increase.
Sanchez doesn’t stop. Neither does the opposition. The piece will be long and full of ups and downs. But after a critical month of December, the government believes it has regained control of the agenda, at least for now.
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