PP and Vox Vie for 35,000 Key Undecided Votes in Aragon

Spain - Ekhbary News Agency

PP and Vox Battle for 35,000 Crucial Undecided Votes in Aragon

With merely 72 hours left before the ballot boxes open in Aragon, the electoral landscape is largely defined, with intense competition within the right-wing bloc for crucial votes that could determine the shape of the regional government. Both the People's Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) anticipate strong growth for the right-wing bloc, primarily driven by the momentum of Vox. In this context, Jorge Azcón, the PP's candidate, aims to surpass his 2023 results (35.5% of votes and 28 deputies), with an ambitious target of reaching 30 seats, a historic record set by Luisa Fernanda Rudi in 2011.

On the other side, Pilar Alegría of the PSOE finds herself in a precarious position, facing the risk of her party's seats declining from 23 to 18, a historic low for the party in 2015. With Podemos significantly weakened, the current political scene is not entirely comparable to that period. The final sprint of the campaign focuses on the fate of the last three disputed seats, one in each province, with a particular focus from the PP on Teruel, a province where Vox has a strong presence.

The decisive factor, according to sources from the PP, lies in the "30%" of voters who lean towards Vox in surveys but hesitate between that party's leader, Alejandro Nolasco, and Azcón. Officials in the PP campaign suggest there is "potential for an uptick" because a significant portion of Vox's electorate is considering voting for the PP. Internal surveys indicate that some votes were "lent" to Vox in recent weeks—perhaps due to events like the Adamuz accident, the railway crisis, or disillusionment with the Mercosur agreement—which could ultimately return to the PP. If voter turnout on February 8th is similar to 2023, this contested 30% would translate into nearly 35,000 crucial votes, pivotal in shaping the balance of power within the right-wing bloc.

Azcón securing 30 seats instead of remaining at 28 would significantly strengthen his negotiating position. For Vox, negotiating with a president who clearly grows, despite the effervescence of the far-right, is different from negotiating with a president who repeats elections without change or even declines. Therefore, the PP has intensified its efforts in the final week of the campaign, adopting an "all-encompassing" strategy. This strategy aims to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Alegría and try to attract undecided voters from Vox, which is gaining ground effortlessly.

Azcón seeks to avoid the PP's mistakes in previous campaigns, such as the Extremadura and general elections. Campaign sources affirm that "Feijóo is here for five days, and Jorge is going all out, even against Vox, comparing it to Podemos. On the street, we are doing very well, almost as well as Ayuso. It's amazing." On Tuesday night, the Aragonese president criticized Vox, stating that "today Vox is the same populism that Podemos was, and we are not willing" to accept the idea that the PP and PSOE are the same, and that Vox would govern "like Pilar Alegría."

Qualitative analyses managed by the PP show that right-wing voters are clear: everyone expects Azcón will have to form a pact with Vox, and they see it as natural. Thus, the key now is to determine the strength of each party in this alliance. For this reason, Azcón is asking for an extra effort to gain more freedom when forging an alliance that is already considered practically inevitable. For the final push, the PP has mobilized its network of 260 mayors to mobilize votes "citizen by citizen." PP sources emphasize that "mayors are fundamental to activating our supporters and getting people to vote."

Ekhbary News Agency