Spain Faces Crucial Election: Far-Right Conservative Popular Party Expected to Garner Most Seats

Spain is gearing up for an early general election, with the conservative Popular Party (PP) expected to come out on top, but potentially needing to form a coalition with the far-right party Vox to govern.

Final opinion polls indicate that the PP is set to win the most seats in the parliament, but fall short of a working majority. This would make it necessary for the party to align with Vox, giving the far-right party a share of power at the national level for the first time since the end of General Franco's dictatorship in 1975.

Vox's agenda, which includes plans to reverse laws on gender violence, LGBTQ rights, abortion, and euthanasia, has been deemed "chilling" by former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The rise of far-right parties across Europe is a growing trend, with such parties already in power or in coalitions in Hungary, Italy, and Finland. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in office since 2018, has warned against a PP-Vox coalition government, stating that it would lead the country into a "dark time warp."

This election is the first in Spain's modern history to be held during the summer, and turnout has been relatively high, with many voters casting their ballots early to avoid the scorching heat.

The result of the election will determine the direction Spain takes politically, and whether it will be governed by a right-wing alliance or maintain its current left-leaning government.