Spanish elections and politics II: Catalan elections on February 14, 2021

[SPQR]

Has Rivera explicitly said that he would form a government with PP and Vox?

Anyway, I agree that, from the Andalusia results, the Vox electorate was more PP-like than RWPP-like.
Might be that, as they become more and more known nation-wide, they manage to reach also the latter votes.
This also seems to me the only chance for a rightwing government.

Things have definitely changed a lot from when Sanchez was forced to step down a while ago, anyway...

[SPQR]

VOX leader Santi Abascal reminds me of a Spanish version of Salvini in Italy, which means VOX should perform really well tomorrow.

I think Santiago Abascal has little in common with Matteo Salvini, leaving aside that both are far right demagogues and have a beard. One of the main differences between Vox and other far right parties like Lega in Italy is the lack of a charismatic link between the party leader and his voters. In the case of Spain the Vox trademark is stronger than Abascal.

Exactly.
Lega was slowly disappearing when Salvini became secretary, after scandals concerning the theft of 49 million euros. He single-handedly changed it from a northern secessionist right-wing party to a national and nationalist RWPP, in large part also thanks to his communication style and his spin doctors.
It's clear that Salvini supports Vox, as much as he supports any right-wing anti-establishment party aroun the globe. He's also looking for support for his new group in the European Parliament. But that doesn't mean that Abascal is Salvini-like (except for the beard and the ugliness).

[SPQR]

It seems obvious that the Catalan issue will be the defining one for the next GE.
Don't really know how it will affect the parties...will Vox rise to third place?
Will Cs recover some credibility?
Will Sanchez's handling of the crisis get him over the line without the Catalan parties - I guess they wouldn't happily support a PSOE-UP government right now...

[SPQR]

It's very interesting how income is a significant predictor of left/right vote, even when accounting for Vox - the La Moraleja result is just startling...
Here in Italy for instance wealthy neighbourhoods in big cities have gone hard towards PD in the last year.


What's up with Teruel Existe instead? When was it founded? What's its platform? Which gov't would it support?

[SPQR]

What's up with Teruel Existe instead? When was it founded? What's its platform? Which gov't would it support?

Teruel Existe (TE) is a citizens' platform founded 20 years ago to defend the interests of Teruel province, that is afflicted by depopulation and lack of infrastructures. It's the first time that TE contests an election. The "forgotten province" is part of the so-called "Emptied Spain" and many of its inhabitants have migrated the neighbouring Zaragoza and Valencia. Deputy elect Tomás Guitarte is an architect and says that he's neither leftwing nor rightwing, although back in 1987 and 1991 he ran as local candidate for the centre-left regionalist Aragonese Union (CHA). Guitarte will sponsor legislative measures in favour of his province and the Emptied Spain. TE also won two seats in the Senate that could be decisive, given that the PSOE lost its majority in the Upper Chamber. I guess that Guitarte will be a politician in the fashion of the PRC leader Miguel Ángel Revilla, the regionalist premier of Cantabria

Thanks!
It's fascinating really - heard a lot about "Emptied Spain", the fact that "forgotten lands" are now going all the way to elect their own place-based representatives is quite a step from simply voting for anti-establishment parties.