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☆ Pedro Sanchez: Spanish leader says he will ‘reflect’ on whether to remain prime minister, as court probes wife
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Madrid CNN —Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Wednesday that he was cancelling his public duties until next week to “reflect” on whether to continue leading the government, just hours after a Spanish court said it had opened a probe against his wife. In the surprise move, Sanchez said on X that he would announce his decision on whether to remain as prime minister next Monday, in an appearance before the news media. Sanchez said “I need to stop and reflect” about “if I should continue leading the government” or step down. Sanchez, head of Spain’s Socialist Party, leads a coalition government with a narrow parliamentary majority. And a poll predicts the Socialist Party will also fare better than conservatives and the far right in regional elections in Catalonia next month around Barcelona.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Begoña Gomez, “, Manos, ” Sanchez, Begoña Gomez “, Javier Maroto, Spain’s Organizations: Madrid CNN, Spanish, Wednesday, Madrid, Superior Court, Justice, Spain’s Socialist Party, Popular Party, Socialist Party, Vox Locations: Madrid, Basque, Catalonia, Barcelona

☆ Georgian politician punches opponent in face in brawl over ‘foreign agent’ law
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Georgian Dream said earlier this month it would reintroduce legislation requiring organizations that accept funds from abroad to register as foreign agents or face fines, 13 months after protests forced it to shelve the plan. Georgian Dream says it wants the country to join the EU and NATO, even as it has deepened ties with Russia and faced accusations of authoritarianism at home. In a statement, Kobakhidze defended the draft law as promoting accountability, and said it was “not clear” why Western countries opposed it. Once approved by members of the legislature’s legal affairs committee, which is controlled by Georgian Dream and its allies, the foreign agent bill can proceed to a first reading in parliament. Opinion polls show that Georgian Dream remains the most popular party, but has lost ground since 2020, when it won a narrow majority.

Persons: Mamuka Mdinaradze, Aleko, Elisashvili, Shakh, Irakli Kobakhidze, Kobakhidze, ” Organizations: CNN, Georgian, European Union, EU, NATO, AP, Kremlin, Georgia Locations: United States, Georgia, Russia, EU, Georgia's, British, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, . Georgia

☆ In Germany, Fighting the Far Right Poses a Conundrum for Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Erika Solomon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Germany — a country that knows something about how extremists can hijack a government — the surging popularity of the far right has forced an awkward question. How far should a democracy go in restricting a party that many believe is bent on undermining it? German politicians have become increasingly alarmed that someday the party could wield influence in the federal government. Its popularity has grown despite the fact that the domestic intelligence services announced they are investigating the party as a suspected threat to democracy. History hangs heavy over Germany as well — the Nazis used elections to seize the levers of the state and shape an authoritarian system.

Locations: Germany, Poland, Hungary

☆ Why the race for the House is the one to watch in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Simone Pathe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —It won’t suck up anywhere near the oxygen of the presidential election, but the race for the US House of Representatives may be the most exciting campaign to watch in 2024. But in the House, Republicans’ shrinking majority has underscored the importance of the balance of power in Washington. House Republicans currently control 219 seats to Democrats’ 212, with four vacancies. Santos was expelled from the House last year, but he’s not absent from the race. Seats Republicans are targetingThe House GOP campaign arm releases a similar target list, which includes 37 offensive seats this year.

Persons: they’re, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin’s, –, George Santos ’, Santos, he’s, Joe Biden, Biden, ”, “, Cam Savage, Nathan L, Gonzales, Nick LaLota, Anthony D’Esposito, Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Brandon Williams, John Duarte, David Valadao, Mike Garcia, Young Kim, Michelle Steel, David Schweikert, Juan Ciscomani, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Tom Kean of, Lori Chavez, Brian Fitzpatrick, Jen Kiggans, Tom Suozzi, Donald Trump, Mary Peltola of, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Jared Golden of, Matt Cartwright of, Marcy Kaptur, Kaptur, Elissa Slotkin –, Dan Kildee, Kildee –, don’t, Dale Kildee, Abigail Spanberger, Susan Wild, Emilia Sykes, Yadira, there’s, There’s, Ron DeSantis, Savage, Ron Brownstein, Trump, he’ll, Suozzi, Achim Bergmann, Bergmann, Gavin Newsom, Kathy Hochul, Eric Adams, Roe, Wade, Meredith Kelly Organizations: CNN, US, Democratic, House, Washington . House Republicans, ’, GOP, Santos, PAC, House Democratic, Republican, Congressional, Fund, Blue States Project, Republicans, Biden, New, Democratic Congressional, National Republican, Washington . Rep, –, Democrats, Rep, Independent, GOP Gov, Trump, Democrat, White, California Gov, New York Gov, New York City Locations: West Virginia, Washington, New York, Tuesday’s, York, California, “ California, Republican, Blue States, Michigan, New Mexico , Colorado, North Carolina, Arizona, Tom Kean of New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Iowa, Arizona , Colorado , Montana , Nebraska , Oregon , Texas, Arizona , California, Florida , Michigan, Wisconsin, Mary Peltola of Alaska, Jared Golden of Maine, Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan’s 8th, –, Texas, Alabama, It’s, Louisiana, Florida, South Carolina, Charleston, Biden, Long, New

☆ Northern Ireland appoints Irish nationalist as First Minister in historic shift
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - FEBRUARY 3: Michelle O'Neill makes her way to the Assembly chamber before being nominated as First Minister at Stormont on February 3, 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill becomes the new Northern Ireland First Minister. This appointment marks the first time a nationalist has held the post of First Minister. Britain's minister for the region, Chris Heaton-Harris, said the restoration of government represented a "great day for Northern Ireland". As the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Sinn Fein was long shunned by the political establishment on both sides of the border.

Persons: Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill, Charles McQuillan, Michelle O'Neill's, Sinn Fein's, O'Neill, Chris Heaton, Harris, Sinn Fein, Emma Little Organizations: Stormont, Northern Ireland First, DUP, Sinn Fein, Democratic Unionist Party, Irish Republican Army, IRA Locations: BELFAST, IRELAND, Belfast , Northern Ireland, British, Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Irish Republic

☆ Pita Limjaroenrat: Thai court dismisses media shares case against popular progressive politician
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Thailand’s Constitutional Court dismissed a case against Pita Limjaroenrat, 43, that alleged he violated election rules by running for office while holding shares in a media company – the long-defunct broadcaster iTV. Thai law bans members of parliament from owning or holding shares in media companies. Ahead of Wednesday’s verdict, Pita expressed confidence outside the court in Bangkok. Move Forward won the most seats and the largest share of the popular vote in the May election. And most recently, Move Forward’s predecessor, the Future Forward Party, won the third most seats in the 2019 election.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Pita, ”, “, Thais, turfing, Srettha Thavisin, Samak Sundaravej, Thaksin Shinawatra, – Organizations: Thailand CNN, Constitutional, iTV, Party, Thai Stock Exchange, CNN, National Institute of Development Administration, Reuters, Lawmakers, Forward Party Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, “

☆ Opinion: Germany’s far right is surging. Banning it would backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Opinion Paul Hockenos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But today, Germany is staring at a surging far right – and the country’s mainstream politicians and democratic citizens, still by far the lion’s share of the population, are understandably rattled. Since then it has veered steadily to the far right, where its members tout barely veiled racism and Islamophobia. But studies show that time and again the accommodation of radical right positions benefits the hard right – and not its imitators. Moreover, democrats of all stripes should expose the far right’s populist arguments for what they are: exaggerations, falsehoods and demagoguery. Germany’s ascendent far right shows that all of Europe – and beyond, including the US – could be at a tipping point.

Persons: Paul Hockenos, ”, Paul Hockenos Hayyan, Adolf Hitler’s, Reich, Alice Weidel, –, Ulrich Perrey, Holstein Daniel Günther, Vladimir Putin’s, Austria –, Germany’s Organizations: CNN, Berlin CNN, Parliament, Research, Brandeis University Locations: Berlin, New Berlin, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Germany, Schwerin, Schleswig, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Austria, Europe

☆ Pedro Sánchez Secures New Term to Lead a Divided Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jason Horowitz | More About Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish progressive leader, secured a second term as prime minister on Thursday after a polarizing agreement granting amnesty to Catalan separatists gave him enough support in Parliament to govern with a fragile coalition over an increasingly divided nation. With 179 votes, barely more than the 176 usually required to govern, Mr. Sánchez, who has been prime minister since 2018, won a chance to extend the progressive agenda, often successful economic policies and pro-European Union posture of his Socialist Party. The outcome was the result of months of haggling since an inconclusive July election in which neither the conservative Popular Party, which came in first, or the Socialist Party, which came in second, secured enough support to govern alone. But the fractures in Spain were less about left versus right and more about the country’s very geographic integrity and identity. Mr. Sánchez’s proposed amnesties have breathed new life into a secession issue that last emerged in 2017, when separatists held an illegal referendum over independence in the prosperous northeastern region of Catalonia.

Persons: Pedro Sánchez, Sánchez, Sánchez’s Organizations: Socialist Party, Popular Party Locations: Spanish, European, Spain, Catalonia

☆ Tens of thousands protest across Spain at proposed Catalan amnesty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people protested across Spain on Sunday against acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez's plans to grant amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for support for another term in office. The government secured a deal with Catalan separatist party Junts on Thursday which includes passing a contentious law granting amnesty to those convicted over Catalonia's attempt to secede from Spain in 2017. "He (Sanchez) has betrayed coexistence, democracy...he can't keep governing," said banker Tomas Perez, 38, holding a sign reading "Sanchez traitor". After an inconclusive July 23 election, the Socialists spent weeks negotiating with smaller parties including far-left platform Sumar and Catalan, Galician and Basque nationalist parties. Reporting by Miguel Gutierrez and Guillermo Martinez; Writing by Jessica Jones; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez's, Junts, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Puerta, amnesties, Catalonia's, Sanchez, Tomas Perez, Inmaculada Herranz Castro, Miguel Gutierrez, Guillermo Martinez, Jessica Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: People's Party, Authorities, Popular Party, Spain's, Socialists, Basque Nationalist Party, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Sol, Madrid, Spanish, EU, Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Malaga, Palma, Valencia, Galician, Basque

Key to the agreement signed Thursday is a massively controversial amnesty that could benefit Puigdemont and thousands of other secessionists. Puigdemont is one of several Catalan leaders who fled justice after an illegal independence referendum was held in 2017. 1 for many Spaniards, and Catalan independence a politically toxic issue, some wonder why Sánchez, who has long opposed any amnesty, is now pushing for it. Those include the two pro-secession Catalan parties who led the unsuccessful 2017 breakaway attempt. A LEGAL QUAGMIREAny amnesty approved by Spain's Parliament is likely to be contested by the opposition parties and several courts in Spain.

Persons: — Spain's, Pedro Sánchez ’, Carles Puigdemont, Sumar —, Sánchez, Junts, QUAGMIRE, Didier Reynders, Spain’s, ___ Wilson Organizations: MADRID, Socialist, WHO, AMNESTY, Sánchez's Socialists, Forces, Popular Party, Vox, Police, Socialists, Junts, Basque Country, Court, European Union Locations: Catalunya, Catalonia, Spain, Spain's, Puigdemont, CATALONIA, Barcelona, Madrid, Basque, Navarra, Belgium

☆ Spanish conservative politician shot in face in Madrid. Gunman escaped on a motorbike, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Vice-President of the European Parliament Alejo Vidal-Quadras from Spain meets the media at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, Tuesday Jan. 27, 2009. Veteran Spanish right-wing politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras has been taken to a hospital in Madrid after being shot on a street in the capital, police said Thursday. After he broke away, he helped found the far-right Vox party. Vox President Santiago Abascal said he believed Vidal-Quadras' life wasn't in immediate danger. Popular Party President Alberto Núñez Feijóo deplored the shooting and wished for his recovery.

Persons: Alejo Vidal, Quadras, Tuesday Jan, Alejandro Vidal, EFE, Vidal, Mariano Rajoy, Vox, Santiago Abascal, Abascal, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Pedro Sánchez, Sánchez, Quadras hasn't Organizations: Tuesday, Veteran Spanish, Police, Popular Party, Vox, Spanish Locations: Spain, Brussels, Belgium, Madrid, Spanish, Quadras, Catalonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

☆ Alejo Vidal-Quadras: Former Catalan politician shot in the face in Madrid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Pau Mosquera | Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Madrid CNN —The former president of Spain’s Popular Party in Catalonia, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, was shot in the face in Madrid on Thursday afternoon, a spokesman for Spain’s Interior Ministry told CNN. “He has been taken conscious to the hospital, whilst National Police agents are investigating the facts”, the spokesman added. Vidal-Quadras is one of the founder members of the far-right party Vox, currently the third largest force in the lower house of Spanish parliament. “I would like to send my solidarity and wishes for a speedy recovery to Alejo Vidal-Quadras,” wrote Sanchez in a post on X. We hope the investigation can clarify the facts as soon as possible and those responsible will be arrested.”This is a developing story.

Persons: Alejo Vidal, Vidal, Quadras, Vox, Nacho Doce, Santiago Abascal, it’s, Pedro Sanchez, “, ”, Sanchez Organizations: Madrid CNN, Spain’s Popular Party, Spain’s Interior Ministry, CNN, National Police, Police, Reuters Vox Party, Spanish Locations: Madrid, Catalonia

[1/4] Maria Corina Machado, candidate of the Vente Venezuela party for the opposition primaries and Freddy Superlano, leader of the Voluntad Popular party, raise their arms as they pose for pictures after a press conference, in Caracas, Venezuela October 13, 2023. The primary is the first held by Venezuela's opposition in over a decade. Favorite Maria Corina Machado is barred from holding public office, in a move criticized by the opposition and the U.S alike, and it is not clear what will happen if she wins the primary. Two other candidates - former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and ex-lawmaker Freddy Superlano - have already withdrawn their candidacies because of similar disqualifications. The U.S. government has conveyed to Maduro bans must be lifted for all opposition presidential candidates by the end of November in exchange for sanction relief, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

Persons: Maria Corina Machado, Freddy Superlano, Leonardo Fernandez, Nicolas Maduro, Henrique Capriles, MARIA CORINA MACHADO, Machado, CARLOS PROSPERI Prosperi, Prosperi, Solorzano, Deisy Buitrago, Vivian Sequera, Mayela Armas, Oliver Griffin, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Voters, U.S, World Bank, Inter, American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, Accion Democratica, Criminal Court, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Caracas, CARACAS, U.S, Guarico

☆ Spain's right-wing leader fails in first bid to become prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Spain's right-wing opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo on Wednesday failed to gain the absolute majority of parliamentary votes needed to become prime minister. Feijóo received 172 votes in favor of his mandate in the Wednesday session — four short of the absolute 176 majority needed from the 350-strong parliament. Despite his electoral win over the summer and support from hard right party Vox, Feijóo's Popular Party has so far failed to stitch together the critical support. Should he fail, acting Prime Minister and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party leader Pedro Sanchez has two months to undergo a similar two-vote process in a bid for investiture, before parliament dissolves on Nov. 27 and elections are called on Jan. 14. A potential pardon could bring on the side the support of self-exiled former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont's Junts per Catalunya.

Persons: Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Feijóo, Vox, Feijóo —, Felipe VI, —, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont's Junts, Puigdemont, Raquel Sans Organizations: Feijóo's Popular Party, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, Popular Party, Reuters, Republican Left Locations: Spanish, Spain, Catalan, Catalonia, Catalunya, Madrid

☆ AfD's Regional Budget Win Erodes German 'Firewall' Against Far Right
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Thomas EscrittERFURT, Germany (Reuters) - The convention by which Germany's far right is kept far from government regardless of how many parliamentary seats it wins was dealt another blow on Thursday when its votes were used to defeat a regional government in a crucial budget bill. Thursday's vote in Thuringia's parliament, when the far right, the conservative Christian Democrats and the pro-business Free Democrats combined to push through a tax cut against the wishes of the left-wing coalition, is the latest sign of change. But, highlighting the dilemma, the regional CDU leader Mario Voigt said such a course of action would effectively deprive him of the right to oppose. The party's regional leader, Bjorn Hoecke, is currently on trial for hate speech after uttering a slogan that stems from a Nazi chant. "We democrats have to stop the finger-pointing, sit down together and find a position that lives up to that responsibility."

Persons: Thomas Escritt, Germany's, Bodo Ramelow, Mario Voigt, Bjorn Hoecke, Stephan Kramer, Daniel Guenther, Rachel More, Nick Macfie Organizations: Christian Democrats, Free Democrats, CDU, Frankfurter Allgemeine Locations: Thomas Escritt ERFURT, Germany, Thuringia's, Thuringian, Sonneberg, Saxony, Anhalt, Thuringia, East Germany, West Germany, Brandenburg, Berlin, Schlweswig, Holstein

AfD members sit in voting booths on the day of the European election assembly 2023 of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Magdeburg, Germany, July 29, 2023. Thursday's vote in Thuringia's parliament, when the far right, the conservative Christian Democrats and the pro-business Free Democrats combined to push through a tax cut against the wishes of the left-wing coalition, is the latest sign of change. But, highlighting the dilemma, the regional CDU leader Mario Voigt said such a course of action would effectively deprive him of the right to oppose. The party's regional leader, Bjorn Hoecke, is currently on trial for hate speech after uttering a slogan that stems from a Nazi chant. "We democrats have to stop the finger-pointing, sit down together and find a position that lives up to that responsibility."

Persons: Annegret, Germany's, Bodo Ramelow, Mario Voigt, Bjorn Hoecke, Stephan Kramer, Daniel Guenther, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Christian Democrats, Free Democrats, CDU, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Thomson Locations: Germany, Magdeburg, Rights ERFURT, Thuringia's, Thuringian, Sonneberg, Saxony, Anhalt, Thuringia, East Germany, West Germany, Brandenburg, Berlin, Schlweswig, Holstein

CNN —As Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) grows ever popular, the country’s once dominant Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party finds itself at a crossroads. The center-right CDU was in power for much of Germany’s post-war era and oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany. Max Schwarz/ReutersBerlin’s CDU mayor, Kai Wegner, took to X to write: “What cooperation is there to be had? Populist parties as ‘lightning rods’The CDU’s Michael Kretschmer, state premier of Saxony, believes a shift in policy is the best approach for democratic parties to stop the rise of the far-right. Opinion polls in his state, one of the five that make up Germany’s former east, put the AfD in the lead; Saxony has long been a stronghold for the far-right party.

Persons: Angela Merkel, Friedrich Merz, shockwaves, Merz, Merz backpedaled, ”, Robert Sesselmann, Max Schwarz, Kai Wegner, Jörg, “, ” “, Kühne, ” Tino Chrupalla, John MacDougall, Merkel, it’s, sadi, Michael Kretschmer, Kretschmer Organizations: CNN, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, East, Social, Green Party and Free Democrats, ZDF, Reuters Berlin’s CDU, INSA, New, SPD, Greens, ARD, Bundestag, Getty, Federal Criminal Police, UN, UNHCR, “, Citizens Locations: Germany, West Germany, Sonneberg, Thuringia, Germany’s, Saxony, Leipzig, West, East Germany, East Germans, West Germans, Saxony Anhalt, Ukraine, Poland, Syria

☆ 'We are in a political deadlock,' sociologist says after Spanish election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email'We are in a political deadlock,' sociologist says after Spanish electionLuis Miller, sociologist at the Spanish National Research Council, discusses the results of the Spanish general elections and says it is "almost impossible that the Popular Party can form a government."

Persons: Luis Miller Organizations: Spanish National Research Council, Popular Locations: Spanish

☆ Spain has rejected the far right. But who governs next is still unclear
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Madrid CNN —The smiles on Spain’s election night told part of the story. “Spain has contained inflation and now it has contained the ultra-nationalist Vox party,” Andres Villena, a professor at Madrid’s Complutense University, told CNN Monday. Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, delivering a speech at his party's headquarters on July 23, 2023. Our priority is Catalonia, not the governability of the Spanish state.”But for Sanchez and Feijóo, running Spain is the priority. Sanchez, the incumbent leader, starts this coalition-building process after helping to successfully halt the advance of the far right.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Yolanda Diaz, Alberto Nuñez Feijóo, Santiago Abascal, Sanchez, Vox, Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, Marcos del Mazo, ” Andres Villena, Giorgia Meloni, –, King Felipe VI, Vincent West, Feijóo, Villena, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Alejandro Martinez Velez, Junts, Miriam Nogueras, … Sanchez, ”, ’, Spain’s Organizations: Madrid CNN, Socialist, Popular Party, Vox, Feijóo’s, Spanish Socialist Workers ’ Party, PSOE, Madrid’s Complutense University, CNN, Reuters, Socialists, Basque Nationalist Party, Spanish, Europa Press, Socialist Party Locations: Madrid, Spanish, Spain, Italy, Finland, Catalonia, Basque, Kyiv, Sunday's, Barcelona

☆ Spain’s Center-Right Party Favored to Win With Far-Right’s Backing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Margherita Stancati | José Bautista | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Alberto Núñez Feijóo is the Popular Party’s leader and the front-runner to become Spain’s next prime minister. Photo: Oscar J. Barroso/Zuma PressSpain’s center-right party looked poised to win the biggest share of votes in Sunday’s election, but not enough to rule on its own, according to exit polls, a result that could pave the way for the first alliance between conservatives and the far-right.

Persons: Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Oscar J . Barroso Organizations: Zuma Press Locations: Sunday’s

Madrid CNN —Spanish voters are heading to the ballot boxes in Sunday’s snap general election that could see a far-right party enter government for the first time in decades. Podemos also suffered in the May elections and has signed a deal to run under the new leftist Sumar alliance. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijóo shake hands before a TV debate. Feijóo under fireSanchez was widely seen to have lost the only televised debate with Feijóo early in the election campaign. The winner on Sunday needs 176 seats in the 350-seat Legislature for an absolute majority, but polls say that’s unlikely.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Podemos, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Andres Villena, Sanchez, Feijóo, haven’t, Alberto Nunez Feijóo, Pierre, Philippe Marcou, General Francisco Franco, Vox, ” Feijóo, “, ”, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Organizations: Madrid CNN —, Popular Party, Vox, Socialist, PSOE, European Union, Madrid’s Complutense University, CNN, ETA, Franco, Socialists Locations: Madrid, Spain, Catalan, Basque, AFP

☆ Spain Votes on Sunday: Here’s What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( Constant Méheut | More About Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This outcome would have no major consequences if the Popular Party, which is leading the polls with about 34 percent of voting intentions, did not need Vox’s support to govern. But most studies suggest that it would, meaning that the far right could enter the Spanish government for the first time since the return of democracy in the 1970s. The Popular Party has refrained from saying whether it would seek to govern with Vox. But it has already forged several local coalition agreements with the far right after the May elections, in a move that many saw as a harbinger of a broader national alliance. The vote, Mr. Sánchez said, “will clarify if Spaniards want a government on the side of Joe Biden or Donald Trump, of Lula da Silva or Jair Bolsonaro.”

Persons: Sánchez, Vox, “, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Lula da Silva, Jair, ” Organizations: Popular Party, Vox

☆ Spain’s far-right Vox party is targeting women’s rights. It may end up kingmaker in Sunday’s election
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Teaming up with Vox, which is projected to receive 36 seats, would give a right-wing coalition a slim working majority. Meanwhile, more than 1,200 Spanish women have been killed by current or former partners since 2003, according to data from the equality ministry. “As progress has been faster, the opposition to gender equality policies has also been more intense and animated,” she said. If the party were to come into government it could severely impact the lives of Spanish women, said Nuño. In local administrations where it has gained influence, Vox has been able to end equality initiatives and censure cultural events, she said.

Persons: CNN —, Spain’s, Pedro Sanchez, Paul Hanna, Vox, Francisco Franco, Paloma Román Marugan, Xuan Cueto, Santiago Abascal, ”, “, ” Vox, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Oscar del Pozo, Laura Nuño Gómez, King, King Juan Carlos, Franco, “ Vox, Jon Nazca, Clara Campoamor Organizations: CNN, Vox, Reuters, Popular Party, Spanish, Bloomberg, Getty, Socialist, PSOE, PP, Deputies, Complutense University of Madrid, Europa Press, Guardia Civil, King Juan, King Juan Carlos University, European Economic, European Union Locations: Europe, Spain, Madrid, Catalonia, Gijon, AFP, Ronda

☆ In Elections, Spain Is Going to Be Absolutely Fine - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Omar G. Encarnación | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Vox’s bombastic rhetoric and toxic policies pose a serious threat to Spanish democracy — but not as existential a threat as many presume it to be. Vox’s emergence — however eye-catching — did not signal any significant shift for the Spanish right and politics in Spain. Contrary to common wisdom, the far right did not disappear with Franco’s death. Lately, encouraged by the surge of right-wing, populist parties all over the world, Spain’s far right decided that it is safe to come out of hiding. Yet Spanish democracy, served by steady leadership, social and economic advances and a lively multiparty political culture, has held firm.

Persons: Vox, —, Manuel Fraga, Franco, Mariano Rajoy Organizations: Spanish, Popular Party, Alianza Popular Locations: Spanish, Spain, Europe, House’s, Catalonia, Basque, Madrid

☆ Britain’s Tories Expected to Face Election Losses - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A recent poll shows the Labour candidate ahead in Selby and Ainsty, where in 2019 Adams won more than 60 percent of the vote. In Somerton and Frome, the candidate of the centrist Liberal Democrat Party appears to have a strong chance of prevailing. Still, there’s a broad sense that, with national elections due sometime in the next 18 months, the Conservative Party is imploding. Yet in Britain, the right appears to be approaching something like free fall, with a recent poll showing Labour with a 21-point lead nationally. Less than four years ago, the party won its fourth consecutive national election by a staggering margin, leaving Labour, then led by the leftist Jeremy Corbyn, decimated.

Persons: Adams, ”, that’s, Joshua Simons, Emmanuel Macron, Le Pen, Jeremy Corbyn, Reed Organizations: Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative, BBC, Conservative Party, Financial, Conservatives, Labour Party, Tories Locations: Selby, Ainsty, Somerton, Frome, Europe, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Germany, Britain, Republic

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