The coalition of Vox, the far-right party led by Santiago Abascal and the PP, is expected to win on Sunday. of Spain's far-right Vox party looked down from campaign banners hung over Paseo Isabel La Católica in Valladolid.
A road that encircles green spaces along the Pisuerga River forces cars to line up in one lane to make room for a two-way bike path, which, according to a meter, had carried more than 800 cyclists by noon on Friday.
Oh However, the bike path has become a local symbol of the culture war. early general elections in Spain.
He is now being threatened by the right-wing local government, which plans to move it to the pavement, completely shut down yet another bike lane in the city, return roads to motorists, and reduce the city's Ules-style low-emission zone.
Sunday's elections, which followed a 24-hour pause in Saturday's election campaign, are expected to lead to a coalition of the main People's Parties (PP) and Vox, led by Santiago Abascal.
This will be the first time that a far-right party has entered a national government in a four-year-old Spanish democracy if Pedro Sánchez, the socialist prime minister, was ousted in favor of Alberto Núñez Feijoo, the leader of the PP.
“Vox and PP announced the closure of bike lanes as one of their first actions after coming to power,” said Diego Miguel Holguín, the PSOE candidate, during a campaign for votes in the center of Valladolid last campaign day.
He said the national PP-Vox coalition would be “a coalition for Vox” and lead to the destruction of Mr. Sanchez's progressive policies.
Teresa Ribera, a minister from Spain's ruling Socialist Party, demonstrated the benefits of cycling at a recent meeting of European ministers in Valladolid. Photo: Spanish Ministry of the Environment/Handout via Reuters. The region of Castile and León has been ruled by the PP-Vox coalition for more than a year, and the regional government has already begun to pursue Mr Sanchez's trademark progressive policies.
PP and Vox have already agreed to form coalitions in two other regions, as well as in 140 cities, as the May local elections went so badly for Mr Sanchez's PSOE that he called for an early vote.
Voters rebelled against a host of progressive policies, including domestic violence, climate and transgender rights, and Mr Sanchez's political alliances with Catalan and Basque separatists.
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His government passed a law calling for low-emission zones this year in Spain of more than 50,000 people.
In Valladolid, a stronghold of the right, the PP-Vox alliance is working to reduce the urban area to a minimum and return bike lanes to motorists.
Vox, tied for third in Spain, also wants to allow cars to use bus and taxi lanes in the city of 300 000 people.
José Domingo Castano Bueno is also running for Valladolid in the elections. He said there are troubling signs of what to expect from the PP-Vox government in Madrid after a year of their alliance with the regional government of Castile and León.
Vox Credit: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images
“PP has picked up on the ideas and values of Vox here in Madrid,” he said between calls for people to vote for his party.
“Vox does not believe in climate change, and in Valladolid PP and Vox have policies that are contrary to sustainability and the environment,” he said, taking shelter in the shade from the high temperatures of the dying heat to talk.
“The low emission zone here is only in the city center, but they want to make the low emission zone as small as possible so that cars can enter the city. Here we can see what their regressive policies are and what can happen at the national level.”
Manolo Vasquez de Prada, who handed out PP flyers, sweets and balloons near the city's Plaza Mayor, said: “We want to govern alone. It would be better for the country. But at the moment it's important that Sanchez is gone.”
When asked if Vox was an extremist, the 65-year-old man shrugged and said: “If all the people in Spain thought the same way, we would have only one party.”
He said that the bike paths cost a lot of money but did not bring results, adding: “Valladolid is an inhospitable city for cyclists. It rains in winter and it is too hot in summer.”
Vox activists did not wish to speak on the record, but said it would be “logical” for their party and PP to form a coalition, and the alliance of regional authorities is working well.
“Don't hit drivers with a stick”
In addition to moving the bike path to sidewalk green spaces, lanes previously restricted to buses and taxis will be opened to electric vehicles, motorcycles and trucks, and the planned low emission zone will be reduced in accordance with the plan ami Vox-PP in the City Council.
Lanes previously restricted to buses and taxis will be opened to electric vehicles, motorcycles and delivery trucks, and the planned low emission zone will be reduced as proposed.
Alberto Gutiérrez, Valladoli d, in charge of traffic and mobility, said: in a city where Renault, Michelin and Iveco have factories that provide the lion's share of jobs, “it seems wrong for the city government to be fanatical against cars,” he added.
“We need to incentivize drivers, not just beat them with a stick,” he told The Telegraph. The voting is scheduled for July 26.
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