Content @ AJ+, published 9 November 2019
Why is Spain going to the polls AGAIN after holding elections in April this year?
The Socialist Party (PSOE) of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez won the last election with 29% of the vote, but fell short of the 175 seats needed for a majority. (2/11)https://t.co/BEWumq3NlR
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 9, 2019
Sánchez was expected to strike a deal with the left but after much back and forth, negotiations with Podemos’ Pablo Iglesias crumbled. When new elections were called in September, the public wasn’t happy & the Socialist leader’s popularity dropped. (4/11)https://t.co/6bvzlvbq65
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 9, 2019
On Oct. 14, several Catalan leaders who pushed for independence were sentenced to over a decade in prison. Mass protests and riots ensued – including an airport occupation – coordinated via an anonymous app, @tsunami_dem. (6/11)https://t.co/zrEuIvyON9
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 9, 2019
PSOE and its leader are politically tired. Sánchez’s position on Catalonia has been close to draconian – and he didn’t help his image when he shook hands with Catalan police who had shot rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters. (8/11) https://t.co/q4ZORVmsDK
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 9, 2019
Spain’s right wing may coalesce around Vox’s rhetoric: “family values” + opposition to feminism, abortion and same-sex marriage. The center-right @CiudadanosCs is expected to be #10Nov’s biggest loser, while Populares plays the “sensible” card. (10/11)https://t.co/I12PaoZE7H
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 9, 2019
Spain’s future still seems up in the air, but one thing is certain: The #10Nov snap election – intended to solve the political chaos that has arisen since 2015 – is certain only to be another milestone in a deepening constitutional crisis. (11/11)https://t.co/YM71DXf50J
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 9, 2019
