Socialists' defeat in Spanish Aragon: Sanchez government loses regional support
Kyiv • UNN
Spain's ruling Socialist Party suffered a defeat in the snap regional elections in Aragon on February 8, securing 18 seats. The conservative People's Party leads with 26 seats, while the far-right Vox doubled its representation to 14 mandates.
Spain's ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) received another alarming signal in the snap regional elections in Aragon, which took place on Sunday, February 8. The results of the vote confirmed the trend of declining popularity of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's cabinet, which became the second major electoral setback for the left in the last two months. This was reported by AP, writes UNN.
Details
According to the count of 98% of the ballots, the conservative People's Party (PP) is confidently leading, having won 26 seats in the 67-seat Aragon parliament. Although this is two mandates less than in 2023, the conservatives retain the status of the leading political force in the region. In contrast, the socialists significantly worsened their positions, receiving only 18 seats against 23 in the previous convocation. The real winner of the election race was the far-right Vox party, which managed to double its representation to 14 mandates, taking third place.
These results mean that the People's Party will again need an alliance with the nationalists from Vox to form a stable majority, as already happened after the December elections in Extremadura. The election campaign in Aragon actually turned into a referendum on the policy of the central government, in particular the acute issue of legalizing about half a million migrants, which became a key argument for mobilizing the right-wing electorate.
Economic successes versus corruption scandals
Sánchez's political crisis is unfolding against the backdrop of a paradoxical economic situation. Despite the fact that Spain is demonstrating the strongest economic growth among the largest EU countries, and the unemployment rate has fallen to a historic low, the government cannot convert these indicators into voter favor. The Bank of Spain forecasts GDP growth of 2.2% in 2026, but voters are more focused on internal problems and issues of national identity.
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The main factor in the decline of the prime minister's personal rating was numerous corruption investigations. Scandals surrounding Sánchez's closest aides and suspicions about his wife's activities seriously undermined trust in the socialists. The next test for the current government will be the elections in Castile and León on March 15, and the June vote in Andalusia could be decisive for the future of the current coalition.