“The elections will be held on Sunday, July 23,” Pedro Sánchez announced in an institutional statement from the Moncloa palace, specifying that he had made “this decision in view of the results of the elections held yesterday”
The president of the Spanish government, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, surprisingly announced today the advancement of the national legislative elections to July 23, after the severe setback of his party in yesterday’s municipal and regional elections.
“The elections will be held on Sunday, July 23,” Sánchez announced in an institutional statement from the Moncloa palace, specifying that he had made “this decision in view of the results of the elections held yesterday.”
Within this framework, he deepened: “I assume the results in first person and I believe it is necessary to give an answer and submit our democratic mandate to the popular will.”
Meanwhile, the council of ministers will meet this afternoon to endorse the announcement, whose publication in the Official State Gazette on Tuesday will lead to the dissolution of Parliament, the AFP news agency reported.
In Sunday’s elections, the PP conservatives seized important mayoralties such as those of Seville and Valencia from the Socialists, in addition to revalidating the governments of the city and the region of Madrid with an absolute majority.
In addition, the Popular Party prevailed in 6 regions where the Socialists governed, alone or in coalition: the Valencian Community, Aragon, Extremadura, La Rioja, the Balearic Islands and Cantabria.
If the day was victorious for the PP, it was also victorious for the far-right formation of Vox, whose support will be necessary for the conservatives in many places.
“Many institutions will be administered by new majorities made up of the Popular Party and Vox, and although yesterday’s votes had a municipal and regional scope, the meaning of the vote conveys a message that goes further,” Sánchez said in his statement. from today.
“For this reason, as president of the Government and also as general secretary of the Socialist Party, I assume the results firsthand and I believe it is necessary to give an answer,” he added.
In the municipal elections, the PP obtained more than 7 million votes (31.5%), compared to 6.2 million (28.1%) for Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE.