Before more than a thousand people, of all ages, on the central road of the Murillo Gardens, a few meters from the San Telmo Palace, headquarters of the Andalusian Government, among palm trees, oleanders in bloom and plenty of pollen for those with allergies, the president of the Board and candidate for re-election for the PP, Juan Manuel Moreno, has started the electoral campaign with the challenge of revalidating an absolute majority that would make him the first popular baron not to have to depend on Vox since Extremadura inaugurated the electoral cycle last December. A spring and almost intimate event, to the rhythm of South Kilometer –which has been performed by a group of young Sevillians to whom the PP has commissioned the song – and, of course, less frenetic than four years ago, when the Andalusian leader gave the starting signal in Malaga, first, and in Seville, later; and more idyllic than in 2018, when he did it in front of where the brothel linked to the corruption scandal of the Andalusian Training and Employment Fund Foundation (Faffe) was located during the socialist governments.
The president of the Board has made a positive review of his management in the last seven years: job creation, record in foreign investment… “We are very prone to forgetting and when someone makes a balance I ask citizens not to forget, to do an exercise of where we were, paralysis, lack of enthusiasm… and where we are” said the popular leader. “This Andalusia has nothing to do, neither in motivation nor in spirit, with the Andalusia with the sad legacy of the socialist Government,” he emphasized.
Moreno starts the campaign wrapped in the optimism predicted by the polls that put him within reach of revalidating the absolute majority. But that perspective also becomes the main threat if it does not reach the 55 deputies that separate that “stability” majority, as he calls the absolute majority, from having to depend on the ultra formation, a link to which he already tied himself in 2018 when he agreed with them to govern, and which he publicly emphasizes that he does not want to repeat.
Four years ago he appealed to the useful vote to break with that bond and that is the same strategy that he is using now with his mantra: but this afternoon, in addition to distancing himself from Vox, he has used the message to distance himself from the socialist past. “On May 17, we cannot get into trouble. When things are going well, we cannot depend on those who want to screw us up, blackmail us or go back to the darkest past,” Moreno said.
Although his team assures that the campaign strategy involves talking only about Andalusia and avoiding the noise of national politics, among which is the “national priority” of Vox, Moreno has not shied away from confronting this afternoon with the Government of Spain, which he has accused of having “neglected” the community. “He is the one that has shown the least affection and empathy with Andalusia in history,” he maintained, giving as an example the lack of investment in infrastructure in the province of Seville.
The popular leader has drawn on the territorial grievance and has criticized the singular financing proposed by the former first vice president and socialist candidate for the Junta, María Jesús Montero: “We are going to always raise our voices to defend the interests of Andalusia, because we know that after May 17 they will cede the entire collection of taxes to Catalonia.” And to do this, according to the popular baron, it is also necessary to revalidate the absolute majority. “In the face of the privileges of some, we need a strong government to defend the interests of the Andalusians who want to be equal to a Catalan, a Basque, and for that we need strong governments to be forceful in the defense of Andalusia,” he emphasized.
Faced with the risk that four years later, the useful vote strategy will not catch on among the center-left voters who supported him then due to the disenchantment with the PSOE, Moreno needs to keep his supporters in tension. That is why these days he does not stop appealing to not be carried away by excess confidence and to take for granted a victory that, if not achieved, would force him to give in to Vox and put personalist leadership in danger. , far above the acronym of the party, which it has managed to shore up during these years in power. “There is nothing gained,” he warned his people.
The feelings among his team, however, are good. “We see the same warmth and citizen enthusiasm for the president as four years ago,” indicate members of his closest team about the displays of support they have received in recent weeks where he has attended fairs and pilgrimages. That is why his pre-campaign has been friendly, seeking to exploit that closeness – selfies with supporters and videos with dogs – and move away from national political issues that are uncomfortable for him, to encapsulate the campaign in Andalusia, insist the campaign managers consulted. Except for the grievance with Catalonia and the singular financing, linked to the pacts and agreements reached by Montero.
