Tuesday, July 25, 2023 - 09:49

WHAT DOES SPANISH ELECTION MEAN FOR GIBRALTAR?

Spanish voters thrust the country into political instability on Sunday with the country sharply divided between left and right and no easy path to an overall majority. The irony is that it looks as if Junts, the party of exiled Catalan President Carles Puigdemont will be the kingmakers but they have already warned that their support will come at a price.

ALARMED
Gibraltar had watched these elections closely, slightly alarmed at the prospect that the Partido Popular and Vox could form a coalition. The latter have taken positions on Gibraltar which at one time included the closure of the border and which now centre on no Brexit treaty without Spanish sovereignty over the Rock. In the event, Gibraltar and the Campo will have breathed a sign of relief because a right-wing Government in Madrid seems highly unlikely at this stage and because their numbers simply do not add up.