Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez calls early elections

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that early elections will be held on November 29 in order to strengthen his political support, after the parliament rejected the government's key regulations on the housing market last week and protests increased across the country.

HE ADMITTED THAT HE DID NOT FULLY KEEP HIS PROMISES

"We need to renew popular support. We need to mobilize people and win elections to achieve a much larger progressive majority in parliament. This will allow us to overcome the resistance of interest groups, achieve new social gains and continue transforming Spain," Sanchez said in a televised speech.

The Prime Minister also admitted that he made mistakes and did not fully deliver on the promises he made during the election campaign.

"I also know that part of this social majority is not happy today," Sanchez said.

Although a series of defeats and scandals weakened his position in domestic politics, Sanchez stood out internationally for taking strong stances on progressive issues, from recognizing a Palestinian state to defending multilateral institutions and cracking down on "tech oligarchs."

IT IS CONSIDERED AS A RISKY MOVE

Sanchez's decision to appear before voters is seen as a risky move because the Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) is behind in opinion polls. However, Sanchez gained support with proposals aimed at solving the growing housing crisis and received a positive response from the public.

Losing the election would mean the end of one of Europe's few left-leaning governments, at a time when the far right is making unprecedented gains in the region and more European voters are moving away from center politics.

Opinion polls show that a coalition formed by Spain's conservative People's Party (PP), with the support of Vox, is the most likely outcome. Such an outcome would pave the way for a far-right party to enter the central government for the first time since the restoration of democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

However, Sanchez, an experienced political actor, has repeatedly managed to surprise those who had long dismissed him.

Although he never received enough votes to form a majority government, Sanchez forged a series of fragile and at first glance impossible coalitions that included support from political actors ranging from the far left to the separatist right to remain in power for three consecutive terms, a total of eight years.

But growing fragmentation among its allies has meant that the government has been able to pass little legislation in its third term and has failed to pass a budget since 2023, even as Spain's economy remains one of the best-performing among developed countries.

HE Knocked Down His Opponent

Sanchez became prime minister after his bid to oust centre-right Mariano Rajoy from power following major corruption scandals in his People's Party. But senior members of Sanchez's own Socialist Party have also faced corruption allegations over the past year. This situation further reduced the already low public support of the party, which remained at approximately 26-31 percent throughout its rule.

Despite suffering heavy losses in previous regional and local elections, Sanchez managed to win a second four-year term in office in 2023 by negotiating the support of a loose party alliance in parliament.

Sanchez won praise during his first term in office for steps such as exhuming Franco from a mausoleum he had built for himself outside Madrid and labor law reform that brought the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly 20 years.

While other European countries have toughened their immigration policies, Sanchez has continued to argue that immigration is essential for the country's economy to continue growing, filling labor shortages in key sectors such as construction, agriculture and hospitality, and providing income to support Spain's struggling social welfare system.

More recently, his refusal to accept US-led demands to increase defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product and his focus on China have irritated US President Donald Trump and some European leaders who worry about the threat of Europe being flooded with Chinese goods.