PM Sanchez’s election statement in full

Dear citizens,

As you know, more than three years ago, the ballot boxes and the Congress of Deputies decided to once again opt for a progressive coalition government.

They did it so that Spain could continue to advance along the path of transformation, ambition and social justice that it has been following since 2018.

Achieving this has not been easy.

In this legislature we have had to manage unprecedented emergencies and navigate a very difficult international situation, marked by unilateral decisions such as trade tensions, energy crises and the return of war in Europe and the Middle East.

We have had to work with a very aggressive Congress in which -absurdly- many confuse “making deals” with “giving up” and “blocking” with “winning.”

We have had to fight against very powerful economic and social elites who do not stand for election but want to continue controlling our country.

And we have also had to contend with the worst opposition our democracy has ever known. An opposition with no sense of national responsibility that has relentlessly questioned the legitimacy of our electoral system, blocked measures and voted against policies that were good for the country, and used its regional power to sabotage policies that benefited ordinary people.

We’ve transferred more resources to these regional governments than ever before so they could build housing and invest in healthcare. And they’ve bought penthouses and privatized hospitals.

Even so, despite all these difficulties and hostilities, the progressive coalition government has not stopped working. And, with it, Spain has not stopped moving forward.

Over the past three years, our country has become the fastest-growing economy and the largest job creator in the entire European Union. The purchasing power of our citizens has increased three times more than in France and Germany. And while our levels of inequality and poverty remain high, they have fallen to their lowest point since records began.

Through effort and dialogue, we have managed to expand scholarships, maternity and paternity leave, dependency benefits, and the service portfolio of the National Health System.

And we have also launched a profound modernization of our industry through the culmination of European funds, the funds called Next Generation.

We have tackled one of our country’s main problems: the slow progress of the energy transformation and, consequently, the ecological transition. Now, more than half of our energy comes from renewable sources. We have passed bold measures to promote the constitutional right to housing. And we have refused to sacrifice our welfare state on the altar of the 5% target.

In short, we have done everything in our power to defend the interests of the Spanish people.

And, at the same time, to the best of our ability, we have strived to build a better world for our fellow citizens and for the rest of humanity. Supporting Ukraine, the European Union, and the United Nations in their darkest moments. Denouncing genocidal regimes when others remained silent. Fighting tyrants, techno-oligarchs, and speculators who want to destroy the future of our sons and daughters to line their own pockets. Doubling our international aid while others boasted of cutting it with their chainsaws or on that military altar of 5% of GDP.

All of this has made our country, has made Spain, a global benchmark for peace, feminism, and prosperity. And it has allowed us to achieve the best economic, social, and environmental results ever attained by a democratic government in our country. The very best.

And this is not an exaggeration. Nor is it an opinion. It is a fact, a verifiable fact, made possible by the dedication of millions of workers, including the self-employed and, of course, the business owners of our country. It has also been possible thanks to the generosity of other parliamentary groups—to whom I want to express my personal gratitude—who have been able to see beyond their differences to build agreements for the benefit of the majority of society. And it has also been possible thanks to that majority of society, which has shown its best side in every crisis we have had to face.

I know that some members of that social majority are dissatisfied today. I know they are outraged to see their interests trampled on in Parliament for the benefit of a few. I also know that we ourselves have made mistakes and haven’t achieved everything we set out to do. It’s true that many injustices still need to be corrected, many social goals to be reached, and many problems to be solved, especially regarding inequality, public services, and access to housing.

But the truth is, to do more, we need to renew and broaden people’s support.

To undertake the necessary reforms that citizens need to reduce these levels of inequality, we must mobilize and ensure that Parliament provides us with a much broader, more progressive majority, with which to overcome the elites, achieve new social advances, and continue transforming Spain.

Therefore, after informing the Head of State, as appropriate, I have decided to convene an extraordinary Council of Ministers this morning to dissolve the Cortes Generales and call general elections to be held on Sunday, November 29, in accordance with the deadlines established by law.

The time has therefore come for the Spanish people to decide what future they want for themselves and for their country.

Now it’s up to you.

One only needs to look at the horizon to understand that the world is entering a complex era of transformation and transition. An era of great tension, climate emergency, and highly disruptive social and technological changes, including those brought about by artificial intelligence.

A time, therefore, of great dangers, but also, if we know how to take advantage of it, of great opportunities.

The Spanish people must decide what role they want to play in this. And also what role they want Spain to play in it. Do they wish to join this far-right wave that is causing regression wherever it governs? Or do they want Spain to remain a bastion of openness, social justice, and environmental responsibility? Do they want our country to regress or continue to move forward? Do they prefer a government that works in the interest of the majority of society? Or do they prefer to hand over the reins of the country to a far-right coalition that has proposed nothing and whose sole objective is to repeal and curtail the rights and freedoms we have been building over these past eight years, to benefit the same old privileged minority?

I trust my fellow citizens. Because I know you are a brave and supportive people, who rise to the challenge and who don’t hesitate to be the first or the only ones to take action to be on the right side of history. That’s why we’re going to give it our all. To work to earn your trust. To inspire you. And to win again. Thank you very much.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)

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