Spain’s far right reaches deals with conservatives

Deals between Spanish conservatives and the radical Vox party to form local governments, just weeks ahead of a general election, have increased the likelihood of the far right entering a national coalition.

The conservative Popular Party (PP) performed well in last month’s local elections, which were marked by an overall swing to the right. The PP wrested control of several regions and key city halls from the Socialists of prime minister Pedro Sánchez but it will need the backing of the far-right Vox, headed by Santiago Abascal, in order to govern many of them.

The first high-profile accord between the two parties since the election was confirmed this week, as the PP and Vox agreed in principle on a forming new coalition administration in the Mediterranean region of Valencia.

Talks had initially stalled because Vox’s candidate for president of the region, Carlos Flores, had been convicted of domestic abuse against his ex-wife.

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After Mr Flores withdrew from the negotiations, a deal was reached that grants Vox control of three regional government departments. Among them is the culture portfolio, which will be headed by Vicente Barrera, a former bullfighter.

Carlos Mazón of the PP, who is expected to become Valencia’s regional president, said the new administration will be “stable and serious” and that it will roll back the legacy of the left-wing grouping which has governed there since 2015.

On Thursday, the two parties also agreed to govern in coalition in the northern city of Burgos.

Vox, which doubled its vote in the recent elections, has said it is hoping to reach similar agreements with the conservatives in 135 town halls across the country, including the major cities of Seville, Valencia and Valladolid.

The two parties had only previously entered a formal coalition once, in the region of Castilla y León, following a snap election there last year.

The PP’s leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, was able to distance himself from that deal because it was reached as he was taking the reins of the party. However, with Mr Núñez Feijóo now firmly in place and no other major parties apparently willing to support the PP, his strategy with regard to Vox is being closely watched ahead of the general election on July 23rd.

The left has criticised the PP-Vox deal in Valencia.

“Today is a bad day for Valencia’s democracy and for our entire country,” said Yolanda Díaz, the labour minister and the new left-wing Sumar party’s candidate for prime minister. She warned that women’s rights, in particular, would suffer under the new regional governments.

Vox, which is the third-largest party in Spain’s parliament, has frequently attacked the government’s feminist agenda, as well as campaigning against Catalan and Basque nationalism and immigration.

Many polls ahead of the election suggest that the PP and Vox will be able to form a majority in the Spanish parliament, replacing Mr Sánchez’s leftist coalition, which has relied on nationalist forces and parties to the left of his Socialists.

Mr Núñez Feijóo has avoided saying whether he would be willing to negotiate a coalition government with Vox.

“My objective is not to reach a deal with Vox but to get a big enough majority to govern [alone],” he said.

A possible change of government after the election could come during Spain’s tenure as president of the European Council, which begins next month.

On Thursday, as he announced his government’s priorities for the six-month presidency, Mr Sánchez appeared to refer to Vox, which has frequently criticised the EU.

“The arrival of anti-European forces is bad news for the EU,” said the prime minister. “To be stronger we have to unite.”