Juanma Moreno goes on the offensive in the year end debate on the state of Andalucía

The period during which the Andalusian government devoted its greatest efforts to absorbing the blows inflicted by the serious healthcare crisis in the breast cancer screening programme is now over. The president of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, has used the state of the region debate, the last of the current term of office, to bid farewell to that tough time and to usher in a new era that has him clearly going on the offensive. The goal of this new era is the upcoming regional elections, the date of which is still unknown.

Since the breast cancer screening crisis hit the headlines at the end of September, the opposition on both sides of the political spectrum believed they had found, for the first time since the political shift in Andalucía to the PP party, a breach through which they could begin to undermine the hegemony that Juanma Moreno has managed to build in recent years, which resulted in the absolute majority that he and the People's Party obtained in 2022. From the left, they attributed all the problems in Andalucía's healthcare service to an alleged privatisation process of this public service. From Vox, they presented the problem as proof that the management capability touted by the PP is utter fiction and that its model is identical to that of the socialist party, just painted in a different colour.

During these recent months of crisis, the Junta's narrative was limited to announcing the measures adopted to deal with the healthcare crisis, from an initial shock plan to the announcement that the healthcare system would be turned inside out and upside down to fix it.

At Thursday's debate event, however, Moreno made it clear that the defensive phase is over and he has now moved onto the attack. The road to the polls will be marked by an unequivocal defence of the management record of his Junta these past years. This applies to all areas, but also to healthcare. Within the governing party, there is the feeling that the opposition parties have missed their opportunity.

The date for the state of the region debate was announced by the regional government's spokesperson on the same day that the 'face masks case' came to public attention in Almeria, a situation that involves some of the PP top brass in that province. This too was a sign that Moreno had no intention of shying away from this affair.

As part of this strategy, instead of tiptoeing around healthcare, the issue that has caused him the most headaches, Moreno made it a central part of his speech. First, he highlighted the 100 new healthcare facilities built during his term of office, the vaccination schedule (one of the most comprehensive in Spain), the expansion of screening programmes, the investment in oncology equipment, the implementation of new cancer treatment systems and the reduction in surgical waiting lists, which are four times longer than the national average. He also spoke of the crisis in breast cancer screening and gave assurances that this programme, with the Junta's response to the crisis, has clearly been strengthened "with more services, more aid and more sensitivity".

The regional president also referred to the accusations of privatisation of public healthcare levelled at the PP by the left, asserting that it is "a blatant and categorical lie, a major con".

His first speech, which lasted two hours, was a comprehensive review of his management of the Junta de Andalucía, referring not only to the current fiscal year or his current term of office, but to the nearly seven years he has served as president.

In his speech, Moreno addressed all areas of governance and denounced what he considered to be central government's ongoing discrimination against Andalucía, with regional funding as the main underlying issue. He also made the Deputy PM of the Spanish government, Minister of Finance and chief PSOE representative in Andalucía the target of his criticism. "The Minister of Finance and the parties that support her have abandoned this defence of Andalucía and are betraying the Andalusian people", said Moreno, berating the socialist leader's absence from the debate. He warned that he will raise his voice "against those who look down their noses at us" and that he will tolerate no more concessions to separatism at the expense of Andalucía.

In an undisguised, pre-election atmosphere, the difference in tone between Moreno and the various political groups was striking.

The most hostile voice came from the socialist spokesperson, María Márquez, who went so far as to accuse the Junta de Andalucía of exercising institutional violence against the Amama association, of having turned Andalusians into clients and the Junta president himself of hiding behind a false façade of cleanliness and moderation. Several members of the socialist opposition group were repeatedly warned by the parliamentary speaker, Jesús Aguirre, for interrupting Moreno during his speech.

Márquez's intervention took place minutes after it became public that José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García had been imprisoned, a matter to which the Junta president alluded in his response, ironically advising the socialist MPs to remain calm and not succumb to anxiety.

Márquez warned Juanma Moreno that his opportunity "has passed him by", because "Andalucía has proven too much for him" and "needs a new era". In her opinion, Moreno has been "the president of monologues and steamrolling". "Reality has debunked all his promises", asserted Márquez, who also reproached Moreno for having done "whatever he pleased" using his absolute majority.

From the other two left-wing groups, Por Andalucía and Adelante Andalucía, the criticisms also focused on the public healthcare service and the alleged privatisation process of this service, which they believe is being pushed by the Andalusian government.

The spokesperson for Por Andalucía, Inmaculada Nieto, asserted that Andalucía is in limbo because Juanma Moreno, "is only dedicated to maintaining tension and noise". In her opinion, this is a consequence of his perceived weakness due to the screening scandal and corruption. She maintained that Moreno is not concerned about such problems and corruption, but rather that the public finds out about them.

José Ignacio García, of Adelanta Andalucía, criticised Moreno for having presided over a period in which "he knew nothing about the wrongdoing" and that the purpose of this legislature has always been "not to tarnish Juanma Moreno's pristine image" and not to alter "his flawless smile". García quoted Abraham Lincoln to warn Moreno that "you cannot fool all the people all the time".

Moreno's exchange with Vox spokesperson Manuel Gavira was much more moderate in tone. Unexpectedly, Gavira changed the approach he had been using during recent question time sessions and, unlike the left-wing spokespeople, he focused his main criticism not on healthcare, but on employment figures and immigration, done in a more conciliatory tone than in recent times.

Gavira reproached Moreno for the legacy of his administration, suggesting that he leaves behind "an Andalucía that none of us like at all". He dissected Moreno's government, evaluating it from the perspectives of employment, healthcare, housing, corruption, political mistrust and illegal immigration, lamenting that "this is the Andalucía you are bequeathing to our children".