On buses traveling around Madrid in recent days appeared an unusual election poster: "For José Antonio, vote for Spanish Palanga." Alongside this call appeared a black-and-white photograph of José Antonia Primo de Rivera, the son of a dictator who ruled Spain in the 20s, founder of the fascist social-nationalist movement "Spanish Phalange", who opposed the left-wing republican government in his country and was executed for it at the age of 33 in January 1936.
The Phalange is now a small and marginal party whose chances of winning a seat in the Spanish parliament in tomorrow's general elections are slim to non-existent. But many in Spain fear election success by the Spanish nationalist right, whose ranks contain nostalgia for the fascist era of dictator Francisco Franco. "The elections are not just about changing the government," declared outgoing Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, "it's a gamble: will Spain continue to move forward, or will we enter a canal that will lead us to an unknown place."
Spain: Madrid prepares to go to the polls // Photo: Reuters
Sanchez, who headed a left-wing government for the past five years and carried out liberal-progressive social policies, decided to call early elections after his left-wing party suffered a heavy defeat in the provincial elections held at the end of May. One of the leaders of the ousted socialist provinces – the prime minister of the Valencian autonomous region, the socialist Chimo Puch – is sharper in his assessment: "A right-wing government will be a return to the past, to neo-Frankism. All values promoted by the left, including same-sex marriage, will be in jeopardy."
Poster of the fascist Palanga party on a bus in Madrid,
The danger to the Spanish left is the right-wing Vox ("Voice") party, which advocates conservative values, preserves Spain's Christian identity, opposes continued mass immigration to Spain via North Africa and separatist movements in the autonomous regions, and dismisses what it calls "climate fanaticism." The party's leader, Santiago Abascal, 47, promises to restore Spain to its days of greatness, as Donald Trump's campaign slogan suggests. Abascal was elected to lead Vox in 2014 and is responsible for its growth and transformation into one of the largest parties in the country. According to the latest polls, Vox is competing with the coalition of 15 left-wing parties, Somar, for third place in the next parliament
. Vox, a member of the conservative and reformist European parties – headed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and linked to the Israeli Likud party – could be the one to give the right a majority in parliamentary elections, allowing the leader of the conservative People's Party, Alberto Núñez Pijo, to bring the right back to power and form a government. Fejjo, 51, was elected leader of the People's Party a year ago. He defines himself as a liberal centrist. If he relies on Vox to form a government, it will be the first time that Vox will be a partner in a right-wing nationwide government. Both parties are already partners in provincial governments.
Election posters ahead of the Spanish elections, photo: Reuters
Among the left, an emergency mobilization was announced in order to prevent the formation of a right-wing government. Some polls, including a poll published Thursday on the website of a Spanish-owned Australian newspaper that ceased operations three years ago, predict a close race between the two blocs because of the strengthening of the radical left-wing Sumar coalition. According to these polls, the separatist parties will decide the future of the next government, and they tend to cooperate with the socialists. The right, for its part, is working to awaken its voters with the slogan: "The choice is between Sanchez and Spain," implying that another government headed by the socialist leader will lead to Spain's disintegration into independent regions. The fateful elections for Spain's future are taking place in the midst of a terrible heat wave and summer vacation. The number of voters may have a significant impact on the outcome of an election.
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