So, About Spain

So, a week ago, the Francoist PP party massively under performed expectations, and the right wing fascist VOX party lost seats in Spain's parliamentary elections.

Considering the history of Spain, going back at least to when the Kings of Castille.

The People's Party was hoping for an outright majority, and massive losses from the Socialist Party (PSOE), and it got neither, though it did pick up a rather impressive 47 seats.

What is particularly notable is that Vox went from 52 seats to 33 seats.

Considering the political winds in Europe right now, I am surprised that they under performed, particularly in Spain, which had the longest ruling fascist regime:

Just a week ago, Spain’s Popular Party (PP) dreamed of 168 seats and a landslide victory that would allow it to govern the country alone, without the need for the far-right Vox. But a much greater resistance from the left than expected, with a Socialist Party (PSOE) that against all odds has amply surpassed its 2019 results, has left PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo with such a narrow victory that not only will he not be able to govern alone — he will not even be able to achieve a sufficient majority with Vox.

The result in terms of votes is even more surprising than the one reflected in the seats: the PP wins the election by less than 300,000 votes. It is a victory, but a small one, very similar to that of José María Aznar in 1996, which leaves a very bad taste in the mouth of the PP leadership, which at no time doubted that they would obtain an absolute majority with Vox.

………

“The involutionist [I believe that a better translation would be, "Reactionary."] bloc has failed. There are more Spaniards who want Spain to move forward and it will continue to be so,” shouted a euphoric Sánchez as the PSOE’s grassroots followers shouted “No pasarán” (They shall not pass, a cry used by Republicans during the Spanish Civil War) at the door of its headquarters. “They have made the sum of the right fail,” admitted Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox.

 The formation of a government will be complex.