The spokesperson for the PSOE in the Congress and head of the list for Bizkaia for the upcoming general elections, Patxi López, has maintained that the Popular Party (PP) "takes off its mask" with its agreement with Vox for the candidacies to the Senate and that, in his opinion, both formations "are already the same," so that "voting for the PP is voting for Vox."
In an interview granted to Radio Euskadi, López also criticized that the popular party "reveals itself" with a campaign that, he said, transmits "hate," and in which the president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, "every time he goes out, he puts his foot in his mouth."
"They are already the same" after the pact for the Senate
Patxi López has highlighted the "mimicry" of the PP with Vox after the pact closed this past Monday between both formations in 23 constituencies, with the aim of achieving a broad majority that stops the joint candidacy of PSOE, Frente Amplio and territorial lefts.
In his opinion, it is "tremendous" because the PP forces its voters to vote for Vox in territories like Gipuzkoa, one of the areas where it will not present a candidacy. "They are already the same, you don't even have to vote for the PP, you have to vote directly for Vox," he criticized.
The socialist leader insisted that this movement shows that "this way one takes off their masks and the citizens see perfectly that voting for the PP is voting for Vox," something that, in his opinion, represents "a brutal setback."
In that framework, López pointed out that the PP proposes "going back practically 90 years," to the "denial of climate change," the "denial of gender violence," the "setback in all policies," and enumerated that, he said, Feijóo already announces it in issues such as "the right to abortion or pensions."
"We already know that this is the PP, that the PP is Vox and that Vox is the PP," insisted the Basque deputy, who recalled that, in his opinion, Feijóo's support for this agreement for the Senate is explained because "the first thing he did upon arriving in Spanish politics" was to authorize the PP's pact with Vox in Castilla y León.
A pact that López considers unthinkable in Europe
López lamented that Spain has "the worst conservative party in all of Europe," because, in the European sphere, "no one would think of making a pre-electoral alliance with the far right," but rather "quite the opposite, they fight it."
In his opinion, it has been shown that "there is no moderation, no sensible right," but rather "a leaning towards the far right," only because of the "enormous frustration of not being the one who governs," with which "it will continue for a long time" because "it is already noticeable in the street" that he will not be president of the Government after November 29.
The campaign, between "progress or setback"
López has stated that the campaign for these elections will be a choice between "advancing or retreating." "On the table there is either a progressive government or a government of the PP-Vox coalition. That is, a government to continue advancing for four years or a government to go back four decades. This is the great choice of November 29. If you want to call it reds and ultras, call it that, but it is progress or setback," he insisted.
In his opinion, the program represented by the conservative bloc means "going back practically 90 years," with the "denial of climate change," the "denial of gender violence" and a setback in various policies, including, he said, the right to abortion or pensions.
López also pointed out that the PP has ended up showing "no moderation, no sensible right," but rather a "leaning towards the far right" motivated, in his opinion, by the frustration of not governing.
Polls, victory in Euskadi and Catalonia and rejection of the "sanchismo plebiscite"
According to López, "the polls are already starting to change and all show a quite pronounced rise" for the Socialist Party and a decline for the PP, although, he pointed out, "unfortunately, Vox still maintains a very high level."
In any case, he took it for "granted" that his party will win in Euskadi and Catalonia because, he said, their citizens understand "what is at stake" in this "historic crossroads."
Asked if he considers the November elections a "sanchismo plebiscite," López considered that "not at all" is it so, and affirmed that "this sanchismo thing is more an invention of the right to try, in the end, to dehumanize the president of the government, to destroy him."
"Since they cannot beat him in any other way, they seek his destruction," he criticized, alluding to how "the political right, the media right, the economic right, even some judicial right that, by land, sea and air, have attacked" Sánchez and his environment and the PSOE.
Pensions, right-wing campaign and criticism of Feijóo
The socialist spokesperson has claimed that the public pension system "works" and highlighted that there is a ratio of people working per retiree that "it had not had for many years" and that, for the first time "in a long time," money is being "put into the piggy bank" of the Social Security to sustain the system.
He added that the President of the Government has committed to "even taking to the constitution the protection of the public pension system and the increase according to the IPC."
Against this, he denounced that the right "likes private insurance and private pension plans more" because, he affirmed, "more than doing politics, it seeks to do business, with education, with health, with pensions."
Regarding the PP's campaign, López criticized the disseminated videos created with AI, which, in his opinion, "portrays whoever does it" and transmits "that hatred, that rage." In addition, he pointed out that Alberto Núñez Feijóo "doesn't get it right" and that "every time he goes out, it's to put his foot in his mouth," so that "every rally he manages to make millions of people angry with the Popular Party and with the policies it intends to implement."
The left, possible partners and the role of Felipe González
Patxi López admitted that he would have liked "the left to the left of the PSOE" to have been able to reach an understanding and run jointly because, he said, "not a single vote from that left would have been lost," while now "there will be many places where different candidacies are voted and none have any representation."
In that context, he assured that his party will campaign to obtain "the best possible result" and thus allow "to continue having a progressive government."
Regarding possible partners, he considered that EH Bildu has been "a reliable partner" in this legislature, with whom "many issues have been moved forward," and he also cited the PNV and other formations. Regarding the Basque nationalists, he pointed out that "it depends on who governs, they also ally with whoever governs."
"There are some who are clearer, who want a progressive government yes or no, and others who might say 'well, if it's the PP, then with the PP'," he stated, appealing to those who want a progressive government to vote for the PSE.
Asked where he places Felipe González in this political moment, he replied that he has "no idea" and is not concerned because "he no longer represents the Socialist Party, nor the socialists, nor the progressives of this country." In any case, he added that, although before "he did more damage" with his statements, now this matter is already "amortized."