The PSOE calls for the "useful" and "progressive" vote to stop the right-wing parties in the 29N elections: "PP and Vox are already the same"

The PSOE has reinforced this Tuesday its call to concentrate the progressive vote to prevent a government of the PP and the far-right Vox. Ministers Arcadi España and Óscar López and the socialist parliamentary spokesperson, Patxi López, have defended the socialist ballot as the "useful" and "progressive" vote for the elections on November 29, following the message that Pedro Sánchez launched on Monday in Valladolid.

"All in red to have the best result, the largest parliamentary majority and continue governing for another four years," the president requested at that rally. Sánchez raised the choice between "two models of society, one that protects and another that leaves people out in the open," and linked the continuity of his government with the defense of pensions, public services, and new increases in the minimum wage.

The appeal comes after the failure of negotiations between Frente Amplio and Podemos, who will compete in a large part of the territory. This division offers the PSOE an argument to attract support to its left, although the effect on the progressive sum will depend on the distribution of seats in each province. Frente Amplio and Podemos responded this Tuesday with criticism of the legislature's balance, especially regarding housing.

Before the Congress's tribute to Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, Arcadi España warned that PP and Vox share, in his opinion, Javier Milei's recipes of "cutting" and "privatizing". Patxi López elaborated on that identification. "They go together in proposals, they go together in ideology, they go hand in hand in governments," he stated, before concluding that "the PP and Vox are already the same thing". Óscar López accused Feijóo of having "surrendered" to Vox and having "fattened" it. "Now we see that Vox little by little is eating the PP," he added.

The Catalan president, Salvador Illa, also defended the concentration of votes in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio. He presented 29N as a choice between "democracy or authoritarianism" and resorted to a football comparison to vindicate the PSOE. "When things are so serious, it's better for the veteran player to take the penalty, not the rookie," he maintained.

The reply from Frente Amplio and Podemos

From Frente Amplio, Tesh Sidi, Más Madrid deputy and number two on the Madrid candidacy, questioned the credibility of the socialist electoral shift. "We already know that in campaigns the PSOE plays at being the Che Guevara of the left, but it will not deceive progressive voters," she declared. "The PSOE's legacy is not its promises in the election campaign, it is what it has done during the legislature," she insisted.

The Compromís deputy Alberto Ibáñez has directed the reproach towards housing policy and the repeal of the gag law. "If the PSOE had gone all in, this legislature they would have been braver in housing matters," he pointed out. He has also defended that PP voters should keep in mind the possibility of an agreement with Vox. "Masks off, the PP goes with Vox," he affirmed.

The general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, has attributed the strength of the right-wing parties to social unrest, the housing crisis, and the rising cost of living. She has described the legislature as "totally lost" and has defended an "autonomous" project from the PSOE. Her statement that "only the PSOE has governed" expresses her criticism of the political direction of the Executive, which has been formed by the socialists and Sumar.

The crossfire has also reached the pact for the Senate. Belarra has regretted that Frente Amplio has agreed candidacies with the socialists and has defended rebuilding an independent alternative that overcomes the limits of the PSOE. Sidi has considered the reproach "an insult" and has recalled that both Unidas Podemos and Sumar have governed in coalition with Sánchez and know the difficulties of that negotiation.

The battle province by province

The socialist argument has special strength in small constituencies, where high percentages are needed to gain representation. Valladolid distributes five deputies and Sumar got none in 2023 with 8.87% of the votes. In provinces with few seats, exceeding the legal barrier of 3% allows participation in the distribution, but it may be insufficient to obtain a seat. Concentrating support in a candidacy with possibilities can prevent a part of the progressive vote from being left without representation.

Madrid and Barcelona present another scenario. On 29N, they will elect 38 and 32 deputies, respectively. In 2023, Sumar obtained six seats in Madrid and five in Barcelona, when Podemos was part of that coalition. A transfer to the PSOE can help dispute a deputy from the right-wing parties, but it can also be limited to transferring a seat between progressive forces or causing the original candidacy to lose a seat without the socialists gaining another. The result depends on the votes of all lists and how the last disputed position turns out.

Fragmentation adds difficulties in Andalusia, where Frente Amplio, Podemos, and Adelante Andalucía are preparing separate candidacies, while in the Valencian Community and the Canary Islands, unity agreements have been closed. Also within Andalusia, opportunities change, with twelve deputies in Seville, eleven in Malaga, eight in Cadiz, and five in Jaen and Huelva. The 2023 figures serve to know the starting point, but the division and changes in support prevent them from being automatically transferred to 29N.

The dispute for Congress coexists with the shared candidacies of the PSOE and Frente Amplio forces for the Senate, aimed at snatching the absolute majority from the PP. In the Upper House, where in most provinces four senators are elected and each voter can mark up to three names, both parties have opted to coordinate. Feijóo confirmed this Tuesday contacts with Vox for them to withdraw candidates in certain constituencies in exchange for representation through senators of autonomous designation.