Spanish Prime Minister Calls for Early Elections on November 29

Sánchez said in a televised speech: "We need to renew the support of the people," adding that his government needs to mobilize voters and win a larger progressive majority in parliament to allow it to overcome entrenched interests and achieve new social progress and continue the transformation in Spain.

The Prime Minister acknowledged mistakes and failure to fulfill some electoral promises, indicating that there is a state of dissatisfaction among part of his social support base.

The move towards early elections comes at a time when Sánchez's Socialist Workers' Party is lagging in opinion polls, with polls suggesting the possibility of a coalition led by the conservative People's Party and supported by Vox.

Sánchez is facing increasing difficulties in managing his parliamentary coalition, as growing divisions among his partners have limited the legislation that the government has been able to pass during its third term, and it has not been able to approve a new budget since 2023, despite the Spanish economy remaining among the best performing among developed countries.

Sánchez took over the premiership after leading a movement that ousted center-right Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, before managing to stay in power through parliamentary alliances that included parties from the left to separatist parties, despite not obtaining enough votes to form a majority government.

He won a second term of four years in 2023, after reaching an agreement with a coalition of parties within the parliament, in exchange for his commitment to grant amnesty to pro-independence Catalan leaders, a move that sparked widespread political controversy.

Sánchez's party's position came under additional pressure last year after corruption allegations involving prominent figures in the Socialist Party, while the party's approval rating ranged between 26% and 31% during his tenure.

On the other hand, his tenure was associated with labor law reform, which contributed to reducing unemployment to its lowest levels in nearly two decades, and he defended the role of immigration in supporting Spanish economic growth and filling labor shortages in key sectors including construction, agriculture, and hospitality, and providing revenues that support the social welfare system.