Meet the four main candidates in Spain's general election

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Jul 2023 15:59
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Here is a closer look at Spain's top candidates for the general election on Sunday.

As the Spanish election grows closer, the battle to govern the country intensifies. So who are the leaders running for this year's election?

Pedro Sanchez

The current Prime Minister and head of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) took office back in June 2018. He arrived after winning a no-confidence vote against the right-wing Popular Party (PP), as he allied himself with smaller leftist parties and independence seekers in the Basque and Catalan regions.

On the domestic level, Sanchez's government has been able to keep inflation rates down and reform labor laws to decrease unemployment in the country. He is also pro-choice and has introduced legislation that allows girls to go through with abortions without getting parental consent.

He has allied himself with independence seekers in the Basque and Catalonia, making him a controversial figure in the eyes of pro-unity voters and right-wing parties.

Sanchez is known to be the country's first English-fluent Prime Minister and he was a former Professor of Economics. He is also a staunch supporter of Kiev as he provided it with military and political support on multiple occasions.

The PSOE leader called for a snap election after his party suffered substantial defeats in regional elections, and he has been both hailed and criticized for his risk-taking.

Alberto Nunez Feijoo

The leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), Alberto Nunez Feijoo, 61, is known for bringing internal stability to the party after going through a crisis post-2017.

He led the regional government in Galicia in the rural northwest of Spain for 13 years, as well as the postal service and the former national health service.

Under his leadership, PP has topped opinion polls and emerged victorious in regional elections held in May this year.

He has accused Sanchez of betrayal for his support of Basque and Catalan "separatists" and pardoning Catalan leaders from their prison sentences after a failed secession bid in 2017.

Feijoo has promised to reform Spain's tax laws, introducing major tax cuts to essential consumer goods as well as slashing taxes on fortunes and corporations.

He is expected to win Sudnay's election and ally himself with the far-right Vox party to form a coalition government that will undo major work done by Sanchez's government.

The #Spanish general elections are set for July 23rd.

Here's your guide for the elections and its importance for #Spain. pic.twitter.com/CWOVeTqf6K
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 17, 2023

Yolanda Diaz

Yolanda Diaz, the current Minister of Labor and Social Economy and Second Deputy Prime Minister, is a member of Spain's Communist Party, and the leader of Sumar, a coalition of parties and groups of the Spanish radical left.

Polls say Diaz is the country's most trusted political leader. She is also a lawyer and an expert on labor law, holding three post-graduate degrees.

She was appointed Minister of Labor in 2020 and negotiated an important furlough agreement during COVID. Her efforts led to a substantial increase in the minimum wage and key labor reform that ended the use of temporary contracts in Spain.

Yolanda's Sumar is also pushing for large-scale environmental reforms and a "universal inheritance" plan that will award citizens around $22,500 to spend on studying or training.

Santiago Abascal

The leader of the Vox party, Santiago Abascal, was a former member of PP but cut ties with the party in late 2013 where he founded the far-right group.

Known for his populist rhetoric and hardline stance against Catalan independence, Abascal has been able to push Vox in opinion polls, equalling in numbers the support that Diaz's coalition has been able to gain.

Vox's popularity shot up in 2017 following the failed secession attempt in Catalonia and amassed the third-largest parliamentary representation in the 2019 general election, only behind Spain's traditional parties.

Abascal has allied himself with other far-right parties, including those in Hungary and Italy.