Election Campaign Intensifies in Castile and León

The heated pre-election period in the Castile and León region has exposed deep fractures within the Spanish right. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, at the helm of the People's Party, has sharpened his rhetoric against his former coalition partner. During election rallies, he mocked the economic policy of Pedro Sánchez's government, claiming the country only prospers for „the cunning and Zapatero”. Simultaneously, Feijóo attacked the Vox party, accusing its leaders of running in elections merely to remain in opposition and criticize, rather than taking responsibility for actual governance. This is a reaction to attempts by the PP headquarters to centralize control over regional pacts, which is meeting resistance from local party structures. On the other side of the barricade, Santiago Abascal, chairman of the Vox party, has gone on an ideological offensive. During visits to agricultural regions, he announced a fight to hold a nationwide referendum on the trade agreement with Mercosur countries, which he considers harmful to Spanish agriculture. Abascal does not shy away from ideological controversies, directing unprecedented attacks at the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. The Vox leader stated that bishops should „focus on celebrating mass”, not supporting the „migration invasion”, which he believes will alienate faithful who share the party's concerns about border security. Relations between PP and Vox have been crucial for the stability of the Spanish right since 2018, when they first reached an agreement in Andalusia, ending the long-standing dominance of the socialists in that region.The situation is complicated by the fact that Vox remains in over 70 local and regional governments together with PP, even though Abascal calls these structures a „fraud” in the campaign. Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, President of Castile and León, has called on Vox to clearly declare whether the party even intends to enter the future government after March, or if it merely seeks to destabilize the political scene. Meanwhile, smaller local committees, such as Soria ¡YA!, criticize both main forces for a lack of real action in combating the depopulation of the province, which could become a deciding factor in the upcoming vote. „Si defienden la invasión migratoria habrá feligreses a los que no les va a gustar” (If they defend the migration invasion, there will be parishioners who won't like it) — Santiago Abascal The struggle for the votes of farmers and provincial residents indicates that the outcome of the upcoming elections will determine not only the future of the region but also the shape of any potential cooperation at the national level ahead of the accelerated parliamentary elections that some analysts predict.