Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo have the same problem. Both would like to govern Spain with a solid majority... but it is not enough for them. And one needs the support of Unidas Podemos, ERC and EH Bildu, to do so, and the other, surely, will require the votes of Vox to reach Moncloa. Such is life and such is parliamentary arithmetic. Socialists and popular are going to hold on to this argument to try to discredit the opposition in the December elections, but they have already resorted to it in the campaign of the municipal and regional elections this month because anything goes to win a few votes.
The erratic decision of EH Bildu to place ETA prisoners with blood crimes on their electoral lists has given the PP ammunition to wear down the Socialists. The alleged collusion between the PSOE and ETA has always been a recurring theme of the popular and now the exbatasunos have put it on a silver platter. The PP was achieving that in these campaign days more was said about ETA than about the proposals launched by the PSOE. Arnaldo Otegi's rectification is necessary to consolidate coexistence and is a gesture of goodwill towards the Socialists. Could have done it earlier, but well done.
It will not serve to change the PP's discourse, as was seen yesterday in the Senate, where the PP leader stated that Sánchez "is a great hope" for "rapists, pedophiles, seditious people, squatters and now also those who went with ski masks and guns." It is not the language to which Núñez Feijóo had accustomed us, but it is surely effective for his electorate. Similarly, the Socialist candidates always remind voters of the threat of future PP governments with Vox, whose candidates are holding up much better than expected, according to most polls.
In short, it is a very simple argument, but very direct: the fear that the Basque and Catalan independentistas added to the podemites can arouse as opposed to the fear of future governments with the far right. Because agreeing between PSOE and PP between them is impossible today.
