Pedro Sánchez makes no effort to hide it: he wants the best possible result this Sunday in Euskadi, of course. But what really concerns him is the appointment on May 12 in Catalonia. “You have had a magnificent campaign, Eneko,” said the leader of the PSOE when he took the lectern this Friday at the closing ceremony of the PSE-EE campaign in Bilbao and then added: “The only thing I ask of you is that you rest Monday but don't forget that we have elections in Catalonia and European elections later.”
He had not even spoken for 30 seconds when, 48 hours before the appointment with the polls in the Basque Country, Sánchez placed the race for the Generalitat at the top of his priorities, to which he pointed out at the same time that, Out of deference, he made reference to the aspirations of his Basque candidate. “For me it would be an extraordinary pride to see Eneko as Lehendakari and Salvador Illa as the next president of the Generalitat.” The President of the Government was formally closing the campaign in Euskadi. Politically, however, he sounded like he was inaugurating that of Catalonia.
The socialists' expectations for this Sunday are, in reality, very limited, something that has been noted in the presence of Pedro Sánchez himself: he has only attended three times in the 15 days of the campaign to support his candidate, Eneko Andueza. The PSE's aspiration is for the numbers to balance again for the reissue of a coalition government with the PNV, a scenario that some polls have cast doubt on in the countdown to 21-A.
At the campaign closing rally, Sánchez avoided any reference to the controversy that has marked recent days, following the fact that the socialist candidate demanded in a debate that the EH Bildu candidate explicitly condemned ETA's terrorism and Pello Otxandiano was lost in ramblings not to do it. Since then, both the PSE and the PSOE, and even the central government itself, attacked Otxandiano, calling him a “coward” and “denier” of democracy.
“Let the bombs be silent and peace speak”
The President of the Government entered into none of that during this Friday's event, who also disqualified the lukewarmness of EH Bildu in response to questions from the press during an appearance this week in Brussels to clarify that, in any case, he maintained his commitment to parliamentary collaboration to advance “progressive policies” in Congress.
During his speech this Friday, Sánchez barely made a veiled mention of the Basque electoral competition with very succinct references to PNV and EH Bildu, both legislative partners in Madrid. “You cannot progress with the resignation of some and the uncertainty brought by others,” he said.
In the midst of a global diplomatic crisis due to the escalation of war in the Middle East, the President of the Government once again vindicated the Spanish foreign policy deployed by his Executive. “We work so that the bombs remain silent and peace speaks!” He shouted with the audience on its feet. And he also took the opportunity once again to vindicate himself and the policies deployed by the Government, with mention of the increase in pensions or the SMI and with the promise of making this housing legislature the “fifth pillar of the welfare state.” ”.
An energetic Eneko Andueza, who preceded Pedro Sánchez in his turn to speak, tried to inoculate doses of optimism into the Bilbao socialist parish. “I have a feeling that we socialists are going to obtain an extraordinary result,” he predicted at his last rally before saying goodbye to him, thanking his family and his party: “We have arrived with the Enekoneta [la furgoneta en la que ha hecho campaña] where the rest have not been able to reach. […] As Enrique Casas said, the best thing about this party is the fucking base,” he concluded, to put the finishing touch to the Basque campaign of 21-A, a technical stop for national politics before the Catalan ones of 12-M.
