There will be general elections on 29 November. The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has just announced in an institutional statement from La Moncloa that he is bringing forward the elections that were scheduled to be held next year.
"To do more, we need to renew and expand the support of the people. To tackle the pending reforms that we need in depth, we must mobilise and achieve a much broader majority from Parliament," Sánchez pointed out.
"The time has come for Spaniards to decide what future you want," "you must decide whether you want our country to go backwards or to continue progressing," he added, after recalling that in this legislature "we have had to manage unprecedented emergencies, navigate a very difficult international situation."
He also highlighted that "we have had to work with a very turbulent Congress and deal with the worst opposition," which he stated has been "the worst in our democratic history." Therefore, "Spaniards, you have to decide whether you wish to join the ultraright wave or whether you wish for Spain to continue being a bastion of openness and social justice," he emphasised.
The president admitted that "mistakes have been made" and "we have not managed to do everything we set out to do," meaning "there are still many injustices to correct, many social goals to achieve and many problems to solve, especially in the areas of inequality, public services and access to housing."
"I trust in my compatriots" for "a much broader progressive majority with which to restrain the elites, achieve new social advances and continue transforming Spain," he concluded, appealing for mobilisation.
The leader of the PSOE has seen the opportunity to call elections now after last week the two housing decrees launched by the Executive failed in the Congress of Deputies. The lower house rejected the two housing decrees on Friday, which were voted on separately, after garnering the rejection of the PP, Vox and Junts.
Thus, Sánchez announced the electoral advance after having previously informed King Felipe VI. of his decision.
According to the schedule set out in the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime (LOREG), after the Council of Ministers approves the decree calling for elections, which will be published this Tuesday in the Official State Gazette (BOE), 54 days must pass until their celebration. From then on, the electoral campaign will officially begin next Friday, 13 November and will last 15 days until Friday, 27 November.
