The Valencian Community is once again a key battleground for the European elections as it was on March 28 and June 23. A geography, governed by the PP and Vox, where the PSOE and the PP want to highlight the key axes of their respective electoral campaigns to mobilize their bases at a time of maximum polarization. Pedro Sánchez will open his campaign on Thursday afternoon in Valencia, accompanied by José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, Teresa Ribera and Diana Morant. A day later, Alberto Núñez Feijóo will do so in Alicante, a key territory of Carlos Mazón’s PP; but he will also hold another rally days later in Valencia.
The frameworks of confrontation, in the Valencian case, are defined and have served both parties to feed their respective narratives in recent weeks. The Valencian Community is one of those that has started the process to approve a Law of Concord, promoted by the PP and Vox, which has generated rejection from the Government and the Valencian opposition. It is part of a legislative package that also includes an Educational Law to modify the presence of Valencian in school, which has received harsh criticism from the University and the Valencian Language Academy. Both issues have already been highlighted by the minister and leader of the PSPV, Diana Morant.
In the PP they also have their own arguments prepared and it is likely that Feijóo, in addition to national issues, will point it out at his rallies. For some time now, the Generalitat Valenciana has been fighting the Government on issues such as water, airports, investments or regional financing, in this case with the demand for a temporary leveling fund. He has even achieved the support of Compromís in this last matter. In addition, he has added another issue to the list of grievances: the ecological flow of La Albufera, which the Valencian executive claims is not being met by the Government. The PSPV and the PP have long defined their frameworks for confrontation in this autonomy, with no signs of there being a minimum of harmony.
The result of both trainings in the Valencian Community will have an autonomous reading, although it is difficult to extrapolate. But the PP and the PSPV will carefully analyze the mood of their voters since the last regional, local and general elections. For this reason, Sánchez and Feijóo are playing to define the muscle of their respective parties in an autonomy where the left lost the institutions last March 28. It will also inevitably be an occasion to define the leaderships of Carlos Mazón and Diana Morant at a time in which the former has been governing for a year and in which the leader of the PSPV has recently served as general secretary of the Valencian socialist federation.
Yolanda Díaz will also campaign in Valencia, the city where the electoral race will close. Since 28-M, the space on the left of the PSOE that Podemos previously supported has been completely diluted. We will have to observe the ability of the leader of Sumar to get votes for her political project in the face of the European elections and see the effect of having formed a candidacy with Compromís. In Sumar’s candidacy, former councilor Vicent Marzà is number 3, the great bet of political Valencianism to obtain a deputy in the European Parliament. On behalf of Vox, Santiago Abascal will be this Sunday in Valencia at an event with Jorge Buixadé, head of this formation’s list for the European Championships.