Spain swings right in local and regional elections
Spain swings right in local and regional elections
People wait in line to cast their ballots during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spain goes to the polls on Sunday for local and regional elections seen as a bellwether for a national vote in December, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) steadily gaining ground on the ruling Socialists in key regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
FILE - Children put their mother’s ballot into the ballot box during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE - People wait in line to cast their ballots during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
People select their ballots at a polling station during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spain goes to the polls on Sunday for local and regional elections seen as a bellwether for a national vote in December, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) steadily gaining ground on the ruling Socialists in key regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
FILE - People select their ballots at a polling station during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE - Maria Iturriaga, 88, prepares to cast her vote at a polling station during regional elections, in Olite, around 38 kms (23 miles) from Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File)
People cast their votes, at a polling station during regional elections, in Olite, around 38 kms (23 miles) from Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
A resident checks a list in a polling station before casting his vote in a regional election in Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
A resident waits at a polling station to casts her vote in the regional election in Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
People wait in line to cast their ballots during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spain goes to the polls on Sunday for local and regional elections seen as a bellwether for a national vote in December, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) steadily gaining ground on the ruling Socialists in key regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
People wait in line to cast their ballots during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spain goes to the polls on Sunday for local and regional elections seen as a bellwether for a national vote in December, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) steadily gaining ground on the ruling Socialists in key regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
FILE - Children put their mother’s ballot into the ballot box during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE - Children put their mother’s ballot into the ballot box during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE - People wait in line to cast their ballots during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE - People wait in line to cast their ballots during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
People select their ballots at a polling station during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spain goes to the polls on Sunday for local and regional elections seen as a bellwether for a national vote in December, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) steadily gaining ground on the ruling Socialists in key regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
People select their ballots at a polling station during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spain goes to the polls on Sunday for local and regional elections seen as a bellwether for a national vote in December, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) steadily gaining ground on the ruling Socialists in key regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
FILE - People select their ballots at a polling station during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE - People select their ballots at a polling station during local elections in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)
FILE - Maria Iturriaga, 88, prepares to cast her vote at a polling station during regional elections, in Olite, around 38 kms (23 miles) from Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File)
FILE - Maria Iturriaga, 88, prepares to cast her vote at a polling station during regional elections, in Olite, around 38 kms (23 miles) from Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday, May 29, 2023, called an early general election for July 23 in a surprise move after his Socialist party took a serious battering in local and regional elections. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File)
People cast their votes, at a polling station during regional elections, in Olite, around 38 kms (23 miles) from Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
A resident checks a list in a polling station before casting his vote in a regional election in Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
A resident waits at a polling station to casts her vote in the regional election in Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s conservative opposition Popular Party made significant gains in Sunday’s local and regional elections, offering a dire assessment of public feeling towards the ruling left-wing coalition ahead of general elections in December.
In the local vote, the Popular Party, or PP, won 31.5% of votes compared with 28.2% for the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, or PSOE, which leads the central government, with more than 97% of votes counted, according to results published by the Interior Ministry. This was a 1.2 percentage point decrease for PSOE on 2019, but almost a 9 point increase for the PP, which benefited from the collapse of the centrist Citizens party.
The PP also dominated several regions previously won by PSOE including Valencia, Aragon and La Rioja. Spain’s regional governments have enormous power and budgetary discretion over education, health, housing and policing.
The party also swung important cities including Valencia and Seville from the Socialists, and achieved an absolute majority for the mayor of the capital, Madrid.
The far-right Vox movement more than doubled their share of local councilors to 7.2%, meaning they will have significant influence on policy in cities where the PP will need their votes.
More than 35 million people were eligible to vote in the local elections. Turnout was 63.9%, slightly down on 2019 on a day of torrential rains for some parts of the country.