“This [issue] hurts the PP, because it has had to make concessions which it doesn’t necessarily believe in,” said Vallespín at Madrid’s Autonomous University.
“It has been very easy for Vox to have a clear position on this but the PP doesn’t seem to have managed that yet.”
The Catholic Church, usually seen to be close to the PP, has also spoken out against national priority.
Sánchez on the attack
Even though Prime Minister Sánchez has recently boosted his international reputation by standing up to U.S. President Donald Trump, he has been struggling to score points at home.
The fight over national priority has given him an opening.
As he addressed supporters on the campaign trail in Andalusia, Sánchez described the previous PP-Vox regional accords as “mansplainers’ pacts” and he said the two parties on the right had given the constitution “a kicking and violated the principle of non-discrimination.”
Flipping the buzzword to his advantage, Sánchez outlined what he said were “our national priorities: A fair and dignified Spain that leaves nobody behind and defends peace, in Spain, Europe and the world.”
Sánchez’s government has begun processing an amnesty for at least 500,000 undocumented migrants. It is an initiative that the PP and Vox have staunchly opposed, warning that it bucks the European trend of closing borders, although characteristically for a moderate, Moreno in Andalusia has been less critical.