Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez calls snap election after mass protests

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez calls snap election after mass protests An election defeat would spell the end of one of Europe's last few left-leaning governments - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday called a snap election for 29 November. Sanchez has distinguished himself globally by taking a firm stance on progressive causes, from supporting Palestinian statehood to defending multilateral institutions and cracking down on "tech oligarchs", even while a series of domestic setbacks and scandals have weakened his standing at home. Putting his leadership to the vote now is a high-risk move, given that his Socialist Party is lagging in opinion polls. However, he has received a boost from popular measures to tackle Spain’s mounting housing crisis, which were defeated by right-wing MPs on Friday, sparking plans for fresh public protests. An election loss would mark the end of one of the few remaining left-leaning administrations in Europe, coming as the far-right achieves unprecedented momentum across the region while a growing number of European voters abandon the political centre ground. Opinion polls indicate a coalition led by the conservative People's Party (PP) with backing from Vox represents the most probable result in Spain, which would bring a far-right party into national government for the first time since democracy was restored following the death of dictator Francisco Franco. Even so, Sanchez, a shrewd political operator, has repeatedly demonstrated his capacity to defy expectations and surprise observers who had long written him off. Despite never winning enough votes to form a majority government, he has cobbled together a series of fragile and seemingly impossible coalitions including voices from the far-left to the separatist right to remain in power for three successive terms lasting eight years. But growing fragmentation among his partners has meant the government has passed little in the way of legislation in its third term and failed to pass a budget since 2023, even as Spain's economy has continued to be one of the best performing in the developed world. Sanchez took office after leading a move to oust centre-right Mariano Rajoy in the wake of major corruption scandals within Rajoy's People's Party. However, senior members of Sanchez's own Socialist Party have in the past year faced allegations of graft, dragging down the party's already weak approval rating which has hovered at around 26-31% throughout his tenure. Against the odds, he won a second four-year term in office in 2023 despite heavy losses in earlier regional and local elections by negotiating support from a loose alliance of parties in parliament. That was achieved after promising a highly controversial amnesty for pro-independence Catalan leaders in exchange for their support, a move still bitterly remembered by many voters as a betrayal of Spanish unity. Sanchez won early plaudits for moves including the exhumation of Franco from a mausoleum the dictator built for himself outside Madrid, and the reform of a labour law that has seen unemployment fall to its lowest level in almost two decades. He cemented his humanitarian and pro-immigration credentials early by saying in June 2018 that Spain would accept the Aquarius migrant rescue ship and its 629 passengers, after Italy and Malta both refused to let the ship dock in their harbours. As other European countries have toughened their policies towards foreign arrivals, Sanchez has consistently argued that immigration is essential for sustaining Spanish growth by plugging gaps in key sectors such as construction, agriculture and hospitality and for providing revenue to prop up Spain's strained welfare system. More recently, his refusal to agree to US-led demands to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP while pivoting toward China has rattled US President Trump and some European leaders concerned about the threat of the bloc being flooded with Chinese goods. Sanchez's housing measures provided a rare chance for the Socialist leader to pitch himself as the leader of a mobilised left and distract from the more politically damaging issues of the migrant crisis in Ceuta and corruption scandals, said Lorenzo Bernaldo de Quiros, economist and president of consultancy Freemarket Corporate Intelligence. "This is a window of opportunity," de Quiros said. "If he does not call elections fast, (those topics) will return to centre stage." Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments