Spain's socialists shed voters in regional election as far right makes gains

"Extremadura, long a leftwing heartland, fell to the conservative People's party (PP) led by Maria Guardiola in 2023, who has governed in a shaky coalition with Vox. Guardiola called a snap election after Vox refused to approve her budget but her hopes of winning an absolute majority were dashed when the PP fell four short of the necessary 33 seats, leaving her once again dependent on a resurgent Vox to form a government."

"In a low turnout, PSOE lost 108,000 votes. Rather than go to the PP, its mainstream rival, the lost votes were distributed between Vox and United for Extremadura (UxE), which increased its share from four to seven seats. UxE is affiliated to Sumar, the leftwing umbrella group that is part of the prime minister Pedro Sanchez's coalition government. The result is also a blow to the PP, which has tried to distance itself from Vox out of fear of losing centre-ground voters."

"Contrary to the received wisdom that young men are the principal supporters of the far right, according to a survey carried out by the news site eldiario.es, Vox's core support in Extremadura comes from men aged 35-54. In just one of a series of corruption allegations, the PSOE's candidate in Extremadura, Miguel Angel Gallardo, faces trial on charges of influence-peddling and abuse of office over allegations that he helped create a tailor-made job for the prime minister's brother, David Sanchez, eight years ago."

Spain's Socialist Workers' party (PSOE) lost 10 of its 28 seats in Extremadura, losing 108,000 votes in a low turnout. The far-right Vox doubled its representation from five to 11 seats, while United for Extremadura (UxE), affiliated to Sumar, rose from four to seven seats. The conservative People's Party (PP) under Maria Guardiola fell four seats short of an absolute majority and remains reliant on Vox after a snap election called when Vox refused to approve the budget. The result weakens both PSOE and PP, highlights coalition fragility, and follows corruption and harassment allegations involving PSOE figures.

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