Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for early general elections on July 23 after his social democratic party, PSOE, and its major ally, Unidas Podemos, suffered heavy losses across the country in regional and municipal elections.
On the other hand, the conservative opposition (Partido Popular) and the far-right (Vox party) posted powerful gains in polls. In total, Partido Popular gained more than 7 million votes (31.53%), which is almost 2 million more voters in relation to 2019 elections, while PSOE social democrats received 6.3 million votes (28.1%). A disturbing feature is the rise of the far-right Vox, which received 1.6 million votes, related to 812 thousand in 2019.
Although it didn't win any seats in regional and municipal parliaments, the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) increased its electoral power, consolidating even further its political presence as the party of the Spanish working class. Despite the negative correlation of forces and the absense of any media coverage, the PCTE managed to gain positive results. In Madrid, for example, the PCTE received more than 2,000 votes, almost tripling its percentage since 2019.
In a comment following the announcement of the general elections by PM Sanchez, the General Secretary of the CC of PCTE Ástor García said: “The electoral cycle opens with a blow to the social democracy. The PCTE still lacks a lot of strength in the workplace and in the neighborhoods, but we are making progress. We appreciate the work of our militancy and supporters and we remember that tomorrow the fight continues whoever wins”.
Back in January, the CC of the Communist Party of the Workers of Spain had proceeded to a lengthy assessment of the three years of PSOE-Unidas Podemos, a text you can read in both English and Spanish in the following link: http://www.idcommunism.com/2023/01/communist-party-of-workers-of-spain-assessment-of-three-years-of-psoe-up-coalition-government.html.
