Spain’s Andalusia 2022 regional elections begin
Voters in the Spanish province of Andalusia will cast their ballots in the 2022 regional elections.
Over the past two years, support for the conservative People’s Party (PP) has surged in Andalusia since they first came to power in 2018 after forming a right-wing coalition with Ciudadamos. Due to regional President Juanma Moreno Bonilla’s management of the economy during the pandemic, Andalusia reached its lowest unemployment rate since 2008 and created more jobs than any other province.
Once a stronghold of the nationally-dominant Socialist Worker’s Party (PSOE), Andalusia will likely fall to the conservatives once the votes are in. Polls project the PP to win 48 seats out of the regional Parliament’s 109, with the PSOE coming in second at 33. If correct, these estimates forecast the first-ever outright PP election victory in Andalusia. Continuation of conservative rule will be fortified in the region in the short term. However, the implications are more dire in the medium-term, as Spain’s general election approaches next year. With Andalusia historically being a barometer for the rest of Spain the PP may look to capitalize on its momentum by fielding the party’s new national leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Reminiscent of Hungary with policy mired in culture wars and identity politics, right-wing power continues to grow across Europe.
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