The Electoral Board would prevent an electoral debate to three without Abascal

One month before the general elections on July 23, there is still no debate schedule. Pedro Sánchez's proposal to celebrate six face to face with Alberto Núñez Feijóo never had any sign of materializing. The PP's reply, which raised a debate against “the government coalition”, did not. Yolanda Díaz will not give up her space to Pedro Sánchez to speak on behalf of Moncloa and the PSOE does not accept the three-way format that would also include the vice president. Vox, in addition, would resort to this type of debate before the Central Electoral Board which, in view of the precedents, would have to agree with the party of Santiago Abascal.

The example of the year 2019 closes the door to a confrontation between the leaders of PSOE, PP and Sumar, with Vox out of contention. In the general elections of April of that year, Antena 3 raised a five-way debate between PSOE, PP, Ciudadanos, Unidas Podemos and Vox, despite the fact that the latter party still did not have any representation in the Congress of Deputies. The presence of Vox, to whom the polls already predicted a strong irruption, tried to justify itself by claiming its status as a “significant political group” that applies to parties that, having not presented themselves in the previous general elections, or not having obtained sufficient results , if they have exceeded 5% of the votes in subsequent regional elections. Vox had achieved 10.96% in the Andalusian elections of 2018, but the electoral legislation emphasizes that this criterion is only valid for debates “in the territorial scope of the broadcast medium”. That is to say, it would have been accepted if the debate had only been broadcast in Andalusia, and not in all of Spain as was intended.

The Central Electoral Board then addressed the appeals against the debate of formations such as the PNV, Junts or the Canary Islands Coalition, which demanded their presence at the meeting for having had a better result than Vox in the 2016 general elections.. “It is appropriate to estimate the resources and declare that the debate to five proposed by Atresmedia is contrary to the principle of proportionality that must be respected by private television stations during electoral periods,” the JEC decided then, in a ruling confirmed two years later by the Court Supreme.

The decision of the Central Electoral Board forced Antena 3 to modify its debate proposal, which ended up being held on April 23, 2019 only with Pedro Sánchez, Pablo Casado, Albert Rivera and Pablo Iglesias. The day before, the candidates had already seen each other on RTVE, although public television had previously maneuvered to make their debate coincide with that of Atresmedia. The proposal was endorsed by Pedro Sánchez, who was attacked by his rivals for trying to reduce the campaign to a single debate.

The Electoral Board based its decision on an Instruction from 2011, which is still in force, and which recognizes the right of private television stations to “decide freely on the opportunity to organize or broadcast interviews or debates”. But, he qualifies, if they do so, “they must take into account in particular the results obtained by each political formation in the last equivalent elections.”

other formats

In this way, no debate could include Yolanda Díaz as a representative of the Sumar coalition without also including Abascal.. Face-to-face debates, four-way debates or debates with more political formations could be held, but never excluding Vox, the third political force in the country, to favor other formations that were below their 2019 result.

Currently there is consensus between the parties in holding a four-way debate with PSOE, PP, Vox and Sumar. And most agree to celebrate another seven, proposed by RTVE, which also includes ERC, the PNV and EH Bildu. The PP has already affirmed that it accepts at least one face to face with Pedro Sánchez, who this Thursday again urged to close a definitive date, but the popular ones will have to predictably rethink the proposed format. Vox has denounced the JEC the intention to hold these debates face to face, although the electoral body has rejected its claim as none have been officially announced.