Spain

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has triggered a general election for late November, reportedly deciding on the move over a single weekend after his legislative majority began to fray. His strategy appears to rely on a campaign of polarization, aiming to secure 30% of the vote to either remain in power or lead a robust opposition. The legislative projects of his term, which produced 22 new laws, will now be left for the next parliament to settle.

The Constitutional Court has cleared the amnesty law for Carles Puigdemont, providing an immediate spark for the campaign. While the governing Socialists express relief at the ruling, the opposition People’s Party (PP) has already begun targeting younger voters and dismisses any chance of a Sánchez comeback. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the PP leader, says he is prepared for the most important moment of his career; his party’s opening move was a video mocking the transport minister's recent injury.

The election window faces an early disruption from trade unions, who have called a general strike for the weeks before the vote. Business leaders have called the move inadmissible and questioned its legal basis, while analysts are already assessing how the Ibex 35 stock index might react to a potential change of government following the vote.