Pedro Sánchez announces the calling of general elections for November 29th

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

Dear citizens,

As you know, more than three years ago, the electorate and the Lower House of Parliament decided once again to back a progressive coalition government.

They did so to ensure that Spain continued along the path of transformation, ambition and social justice it has been following since 2018.

Achieving this has not been easy.

During this term, we have had to manage unprecedented emergencies and navigate a very difficult international landscape, marked by unilateral decisions and events such as trade tensions, energy crises and the return of war to Europe and the Middle East.

We have had to work with a very acrimonious Parliament in which -absurdly- many confuse "making deals" with "giving in" and "blocking" with "winning."

We have had to contend with powerful economic and social elites who do not run for election yet seek to maintain control over our country.

And we have also had to deal with the worst opposition our democracy has ever known. It is an opposition lacking any sense of state responsibility - one that has ceaselessly questioned the legitimacy of our electoral system, blocked measures, voted against policies beneficial to the country and used its regional powers to sabotage policies that help ordinary people.

We have transferred more resources than ever to those regional governments so they could build housing and invest in healthcare. Yet, instead, they have bought up penthouses and privatised hospitals.

Even so, despite all these difficulties and hostility, the progressive coalition government has never stopped working. And, with it, Spain has never stopped moving forward.

Over these three years, our country has become the fastest-growing economy in the European Union, leading the bloc in job creation. The purchasing power of our citizens has grown three times as much as in France and Germany. And our levels of inequality and poverty - while still high - have fallen to their lowest point since records began.

Through effort and dialogue, we have succeeded in expanding scholarships, maternity and paternity leave, support for long-term care and the range of services provided by the National Health System.

We have also launched a profound modernisation of our industry by fully utilising European funds - specifically, the Next Generation funds.

We have tackled one of our country's major challenges - the lack of progress in energy transformation and the ecological transition - reaching the point where more than half of our energy comes from renewable sources. We have adopted bold measures to uphold the constitutional right to housing. And we have refused to sacrifice our welfare state on the altar of the 5% [defence spending target].

Ultimately, we have done everything within our power to defend the interests of the people of Spain.

At the same time, to the best of our ability, we have strived to build a better world for our fellow citizens and for humanity as a whole. We have supported Ukraine, the European Union and the United Nations during their darkest hours. We have denounced perpetrators of genocide while others remained silent. We have fought against tyrants, techno-oligarchs and the speculators who seek to destroy our children's future to line their own pockets. We have doubled our international development aid, while others boasted of slashing it with their "chainsaws" or sacrificing it on that military altar of 5% of GDP.

All of this has shaped our country; it has turned Spain into a global benchmark for peace, feminism and prosperity. It has enabled us to achieve the best economic, social and environmental results of any democratic government in our country's history. The very best.

And this is no exaggeration. Nor is it an opinion. It is a fact - verifiable data - made possible by the dedication of millions of workers, the self-employed and, of course, our country's business owners. It was also made possible by the generosity of other parliamentary forces - whom I wish to thank personally - who were able to look past their differences to forge agreements for the benefit of the social majority. And it was made possible by that very social majority, which has brought out the best in itself during every crisis we have had to face.

I know that part of that social majority feels dissatisfied today. I know that they are outraged to see how their interests are trampled upon in Parliament for the benefit of a few. I also know that we ourselves have made mistakes and have not managed to do everything we had set out to do. It is true that there are still many injustices to be corrected. Many social goals to be achieved. And many problems to be resolved, above all in the areas of inequality, public services and access to housing.

But the fact is that, in order to do more, we need to renew and expand people's support.

To undertake the pending reforms needed to reduce inequality, we must mobilise and secure a much broader, progressive majority in Parliament - one capable of overcoming the elites, achieving new social advances and continuing to transform Spain.

Therefore, after duly informing the Head of State, I have decided to convene an extraordinary Council of Ministers this very morning to dissolve the General Courts and call a general election for Sunday, 29 November , in accordance with statutory timeframes.

The time has come, then, for the Spanish people to decide what future you want for yourselves and for your country.

It is now up to you.

One need only look at the horizon to see that the world is facing a complex era - a time of transformation and transition. A time of great tension. Of climate emergency. Of social and - with artificial intelligence - highly disruptive technological changes

An era, therefore, of great dangers, but also, if we know how to make the most of it, of great opportunities.

You, the Spanish people, must decide what role you wish to play in this era, and what role you want Spain to play. Whether you wish to join the far-right wave that causes regression wherever it governs, or whether you want Spain to remain a bastion of openness, social justice and environmental responsibility. Whether you want our country to move backwards or continue moving forward. Whether you prefer a government that works for the interests of the majority of society. Or would you prefer to hand the reins of the country over to a far-right coalition that has proposed nothing - and whose sole objective is to repeal and curtail the rights and freedoms we have built up over these past eight years - in order to benefit the same old crowd, a privileged minority?

I have faith in my fellow countrymen and women. Because I know that you are a brave and supportive people, that you rise to challenges and that you have no qualms about being the only ones or the first to move in order to stand on the right side of history. That is why we are going to give it our all: to work hard to earn your trust, to inspire hope and to win again. Thank you very much.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)