The People’s Party (PP, right) prevailed yesterday Sunday in a new regional election in Extremadura, in western Spain, where the Socialists of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, faced with a series of scandals, suffered a heavy defeat, while the extreme right increased its forces.
The PP secured 43% of the vote, meaning it will take 29 of the 65 seats in the regional parliament — compared to 28 in the outgoing one — according to the almost final official results, with 99% of ballots counted.
This result suggests that the traditional Spanish right-wing party will need support from the far-right Vox faction to govern. This latter party saw its seats increase from 5 to 11 (almost 17% of the vote).
The PSOE lost 14 units and 10 seats: with just under 26%, it will take only 18 seats in the local district parliament which for a number of years was its stronghold — it ruled there until 2023.
The staircase with Avalos
The snap election in the mainly agricultural region of about 1 million people was the first such proceeding since a court ordered former transport minister Jose Luis Avalos, a close associate of Mr Sanchez, to stand trial on corruption charges.
Remanded in custody pending his trial, Mr. Avalos is accused of having received bribes for the awarding of public contracts. The prosecution is asking for a 24-year prison sentence. The PSOE, which he had joined in 1981, expelled him.
Other corruption investigations target Mr. Sanchez’s wife, Begonia Gomez, and his older brother, the composer and conductor David Sanchez.
The latter is accused of using the political influence of his brother and head of government to secure in 2017 a position in charge of arts and entertainment in the provincial government of Badajoz, in southwestern Extremadura.
He is expected to go on trial for influence peddling in May 2026 along with ten other defendants, including the socialist candidate for the presidency of the government in Extremadura, Miguel Ángel Gaiardo.
The PSOE has also been criticized in recent weeks for its alleged inability to deal with sexual harassment cases against senior officials.
