Last day of campaigning in Andalusian election

Andalusians go to the polls this Sunday for the regional election. Today (Friday) is the last day of campaigning, with a legal day of reflection imposed on Saturday.

Over the past week, local party leaders, supported by figures from national politics, have continued to tour the region, Spain’s most populous.

Campaigning was briefly halted by most parties last Saturday following the deaths of two Guardia Civil officers during a drug interception operation at sea off Huelva.

Opinion polls still show a tight race for the conservative Partido Popular (PP), currently in power, to retain its overall majority.

Its leader and current Andalusian regional president, Juanma Moreno, called on voters to support him with an outright majority to avoid political gridlock in governing Andalucía “over a handful of votes”. Moreno also appealed to younger voters on Wednesday by releasing a campaign song, entitled Kilómetro Sur, in which he sang the vocals. He was a singer in a band in his youth.

In the battle for the final seat in each constituency, which could determine the governability of Andalucía, the PSOE Socialists chose Granada for another rally featuring María Jesús Montero and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Sánchez will again support the PSOE candidate at today’s campaign closing event in Seville. Montero appealed to undecided voters, saying: “Let nobody be mistaken, we are the only real alternative to the PP.”

The vote is particularly important as the regional government is responsible for delivering key public services such as healthcare, education and social care. The parties standing are: PP, PSOE, Vox, Adelante Andalucía and PorA.