Laurence Dollimore
ANDALUCIA would remain in the hands of a right-wing government if an election were held tomorrow, a new poll has suggested.
The Partido Popular (PP) would obtain 26.6% of the vote, securing a 3.1 point advantage over the PSOE socialists, who would win 23.5%.
According to the survey, carried out by the Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalucia (IECA), the PP would secure an absolute majority by pacting with centre-right Ciudadanos (Cs) and far-right Vox.
It’s bad news for the left, who lost the most populous region for the first time in the country’s short democratic history back in 2018.
The notoriously anti-lockdown and anti-feminist Vox would obtain 15.7% of votes in the hypothetical snap poll.
That places it 3.5 points above Ciudadanos, which would receive 12.2%, and makes it the third-most popular political party in the region, the survey suggests.
IECA calculated its results after contacting 3,600 people by telephone between November 23 and December 3.
It suggest voters are satisfied with the incumbent regional government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, with the vote share of PP and Vox increasing by 5.8% and 4.7% respectively compared to 2018.
It could also mean voters are expressing their displeasure with the PSOE-run national Government’s COVID management, with the Socialists standing to see their vote share fall by 4.4%.
The far left will also shed seats, with Adelante Andalucia, which garnered 17 deputies in 2018, only managing to secure between one and three, according to the poll.
Meanwhile Podemos and Izquierda Unida (IU), would collectively muster 10 to 12 seats.
Regional elections in Andalucia are held every four years, meaning the next will take place no later than 2022.
