Spaniards are casting their votes in the country's first-ever summer election, raising concerns about voter turnout. The conservative opposition, led by Alberto Nunez Feijoo, is currently the frontrunner, although they may need the support of the far right to form a government.
Feijoo, who has never held a national elected position but has served as the president of the Galicia region for 13 years, is capitalizing on voter fatigue with contentious gender policies and Madrid's connections with regional separatists in Catalonia and the Basque Country. Interestingly, Feijoo has not focused heavily on the economy during his campaign, as Spain's economy has been relatively stable under Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez since the pandemic.
As of 2 p.m. Madrid time, the voter turnout has reached nearly 40.5%, surpassing the 37.9% turnout in the previous election in 2019. Despite the summer heat, Spaniards are braving the weather to cast their ballots, some even using their paper ballots as fans at polling stations. Voting is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. CET, with exit polls expected to be published at 9 p.m., and results anticipated around midnight.
Sanchez, on the other hand, is relying on a last-minute mobilization of leftist voters to secure his position as Prime Minister. He called for a snap election in May, a day after Feijoo's People's Party and the far-right nativist group Vox achieved significant victories in city and regional elections. Unfortunately for Sanchez, his attempts to focus on economic growth, which has been one of the strongest in Europe, and low inflation rates have failed to gain significant traction.
A victory for Feijoo would mark the redemption of the People's Party, which was ousted from power when Sanchez successfully led Spain's first-ever no-confidence vote against former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in 2018.
If a coalition government is formed between the People's Party and Vox, it would represent a significant shift as it would be the first time that a far-right party enters the government. Most pre-blackout polls showed the People's Party winning a comfortable first place, with Vox in third place, allowing the two parties to form a coalition government. Although some polls suggest that the right-wing bloc may fall short of the required 176 parliamentary majority, none indicate that the Socialists and their far-left Sumar partners have enough support to govern.
This election is the first national ballot held during the summer in Spain since 1977, when the first vote took place after a 36-year dictatorship. Initial turnout numbers indicate that Spaniards are not deterred, despite the summer heat. A further update on turnout is expected at 6 p.m.
It is worth mentioning that one region in Spain specifically prohibits local elections during the summer to avoid the extreme heat, which can exceed 40C (104F) in regions like Andalusia and Extremadura. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that polling stations are often located in schools that may lack proper air conditioning systems.
While Spain has not been hit as severely by the recent heatwave as Italy and Greece, the eastern region of Catalonia recorded a record-high temperature of 45.1C on July 18.