Vox and PP see the Barcelona riots as a boost for their candidates

The riots last Saturday in Barcelona have become political ammunition for PP and Vox with just over a month until the general elections. Both parties blame the government of Pedro Sánchez.

According to cronicaglobal.elespanol.com, street violence has reached the pre-campaign for the general elections with scenes reminiscent of those experienced in France. The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested 128 people, of which 72 are minors, following the looting and attacks on businesses recorded in Plaça de Catalunya.

For PP and Vox, the chaos provides an argument in their favour. Both parties believe it strengthens their chances of securing a sufficient majority to oust Pedro Sánchez. They attribute the events to the socialists even before the real culprits are known.

The sense of insecurity is the ground both formations want to exploit. They have long called for a "hardline" approach from the socialist administrations and link the riots to the arrival of immigrants, something they also attribute to the current government. From the opposition, it has also been criticized that the police arrived late, despite having information about the illegal gathering.

In Catalonia, the focus is on the candidates. The PP has placed the mayor of Badalona, Xavier Garcia Albiol, as the lead candidate for Barcelona on November 29, a profile known for his toughness against repeat offenders in his city. His appointment was kept secret until the last moment.

Vox, for its part, maintains Juanjo Aizcorbe as its candidate, who until now was the unknown on the list and will have to rely mainly on the party's brand and Santiago Abascal. Until now, the big question was whether Vox could surpass the PP in Catalonia, something that polls suggested was possible and would be the only case if it happened on November 29.

The party of Ignacio Garriga could, at a minimum, double its seats in Catalonia, favoured by the absence of Aliança Catalana. On the left, former mayor Ada Colau, now a candidate for the Broad Front, attributed the protests to the far right, as did Gabriel Rufián from ERC. However, polls do not place Colau close to the seven seats that Sumar achieved in 2023.

The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, assured that those who caused the damage will pay for it, or their families if the culprits are minors. It is still too early to measure the political effect of the protests. The main uncertainty is whether they will be repeated in the coming days and if they will spread to other Spanish cities.