Pedro Sánchez calls snap elections for Nov 29, Euronews reports
- Il était le principal garant de von der Leyen, poussant sans cesse à un compromis avec le Parti populaire européen", an anonymous European lawmaker told Euronews.
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called snap general elections for November 29, after the national parliament rejected two housing decrees, a move that threatens to destabilize both...
- Sánchez scheduled the early vote following the legislative defeat.
“Sánchez était un facteur de stabilisation déterminant. Il était le principal garant de von der Leyen, poussant sans cesse à un compromis avec le Parti populaire européen”, an anonymous European lawmaker told Euronews.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called snap general elections for November 29, after the national parliament rejected two housing decrees, a move that threatens to destabilize both Spain’s center-left government and the broader pro-European Union majority in Brussels, Euronews reported.
Snap Election Called After Housing Defeat in Madrid
Sánchez scheduled the early vote following the legislative defeat. His minority government has faced mounting pressure from housing protests, corruption scandals, and unresolved migration strains around Ceuta. Despite surviving past political crises with backing from Basque and Catalan separatist parties, current polling indicates that the center-right Partido Popular (PP) and the far-right Vox party could secure a parliamentary majority.
Sánchez Loss Could Embolden S&D Against Von Der Leyen
A loss for Sánchez would ripple through European institutions, where the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament could adopt a more combative posture against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. European officials speaking to Euronews on condition of anonymity noted that center-left lawmakers would face fewer internal constraints if Sánchez transitioned to opposition. An initial institutional test approaches with the S&D group leadership vote, where Spanish MEP Iratxe García Pérez faces a candidate filing deadline of October 13, without a declared challenger so far.
Shifting Power Balances Across the European Council
Tobias Gerhard Schminke, founder of the Europe Elects electoral observatory, explained to Euronews that if the next Spanish prime minister emerges from the center-right PP, S&D influence inside the European Council would drop to levels unseen since at least the early 1990s. With Spain governed by the center-left, Sánchez has frequently set the tone for continental social democrats on defense spending, migration, and relations with the United States under President Donald Trump. Without that anchor, the European People’s Party (PPE) could challenge existing leadership arrangements, including the anticipated mid-term renewal of European Council President António Costa and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
“C’est une situation extrêmement risquée. Une Union européenne privée de son pilier social-démocrate change fondamentalement. Cela modifie l’équilibre historique des prises de décision au Parlement européen”
Anonymous European Parliament Lawmaker via Euronews