Spanish prime minister faces off with leading candidate in electoral debate

OVIEDO, Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faced off with Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo on Monday night.

Less than two weeks ahead of national elections, the two leading candidates clashed on the economy, women’s rights, healthcare and education in the first electoral debate.

While the tone remained largely respectful, the two politicians clashed over facts, regularly accusing the other of lying about figures and telling half-truths.

Over nearly two hours of free-flowing discussion, Sanchez boasted of his record: adding two million jobs, becoming the first European country to reduce inflation to below 2% after the war in Ukraine and passing landmark bills such as the housing and euthanasia law.

Feijoo disagreed with Sanchez’s rosy evaluation.

“You raised the debt, you increased taxes, you’ve made us the slowest growing country in the EU.”

Although only two leaders were debating, polls suggest that neither has a good chance at winning an absolute majority. Sanchez has governed with the far-left Unidas Podemos for four years, but if the right-wing bloc wins, it could herald a coalition with the far-right party Vox — a first in Spain’s recent democratic history.

Feijoo, who is leading in the polls, publicly offered Sanchez a pact.

“If you win the elections, I’ll support you. If I win, you support me,” he proposed to Sanchez, slamming the prime minister for pandering to Catalan and Basque separatists in exchange for their support.

Sanchez laughed off Feijoo’s televised proposal, accusing the Popular Party of becoming interchangeable with Vox.

The debate became particularly charged around women’s rights.

Feijoo criticized Sanchez for a law that unintentionally saw hundreds of sex offenders’ sentences reduced. Sanchez argued that all advances in women’s rights in Spain have been under his Socialist Party.

“A judicial error can be corrected, but machismo cannot. You’re pandering to sexism with the shameful agreements you’ve been signing with Vox,” said Sanchez.

Whether this debate will be enough to change voters’ minds remains to be seen. Citizens will also be able to watch another debate with the spokespeople from the four main parties on Thursday.

The following week, Sanchez, Yolanda Diaz of the far-left Sumar party and Santiago Abascal of Vox are scheduled to face off. Feijoo has so far refused to attend that debate because he said the leaders of Basque and Catalan nationalist parties should be there too.