Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has a reputation for judicious risk-taking. In 2018, after orchestrating a vote of no confidence in the incumbent centre-right government, he was appointed prime minister despite the socialists having a mere 84 MPs in a 350-seat parliament. Mr Sánchez was not even a sitting deputy at the time.
This July, progressives both inside and outside Spain must hope that the prime minister’s gambling instincts will pay off once again. Following regional and municipal polls in which the centre-right Partido Popular (PP) had a field day, and the radical right Vox party doubled its share of the vote, Mr Sánchez has surprised Spain by calling a snap general election on 23 July, anticipating one due in December. This is a manoeuvre that Sir Humphrey in Yes Minister might describe as “brave”.
