Spanish politicians are swapping campaign buses for tractors, buddying up with hunters and inspecting home-grown tomatoes in Spain's often-neglected rural regions as they hunt for votes in Sunday's general election, one of the country's most polarized votes in decades.
The ballot comes as Spain's traditional bipartisan political landscape — which used to revolve around the left-wing Socialists and the conservative Popular Party — has fractured into five main political parties, including a far-right populist newcomer. That has spurred a race for votes in Spain's overrepresented hinterland, where nearly one-third of the seats in parliament's lower house are up for grabs.
Click to Gallery
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Vox's Ciudad Real provincial candidate Ricardo Chamorro, left, and Toyan Patón during a meeting with local farmers at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. A lawyer with solid traditional convictions, Chamorro's political career reflects the tectonic changes undergoing Spain's right. He fell out with the Popular Party (PP), the alpha male of Spanish politics for decades, over corruption scandals and what he sees as a departure from conservative moral positions. Although tempted by the center-right Citizens party's resolve against separatism, he ended up embracing the national-populism of Vox, which also vows to defend Spain from Muslims and communists, and whose program echoes the "get back control" mantra of other anti-elitist movements around the globe. Following the trotted path of far-right parties elsewhere, Vox is posed to grab 29 to 37 deputies in the national parliament on Sunday, a big splash for a party that only last year made its first big advance with a win in the regional election in Andalusia, a Socialist stronghold. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Marcy Jurado poses for a portrait in La Bienvenida village, central Spain. When the last student left and the school closed, Jurado knew that her village, the heart of the Alcudia valley in central Spain, was about to stop beating. One by one, gone were also the health center, the church and the local bar, the valley's soul. "That's when we knew there was no way back," the 64 year-old said looking down to the empty square of La Bienvenida. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, villagers gather at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. With nearly 400,000 voters in a country of 37 million, Ciudad Real is a microcosm of the weight of rural areas in national politics. In the last general election, in 2016, three of the five deputies chosen by the province went to the PP conservatives and two to the Socialists. But reflecting the crisis of bipartisan politics, polls are predicting now at least two seats for the Socialists and one for PP, with the remaining two going for a few thousand votes of difference to either two of the once-dominant parties, or even a split between the center-right Citizens and Vox. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
Spanish politicians are swapping campaign buses for tractors, buddying up with hunters and inspecting home-grown tomatoes in Spain's often-neglected rural regions as they hunt for votes in Sunday's general election, one of the country's most polarized votes in decades.
In this April 10, 2019 photo, villagers attend a meeting with Spanish far right party Vox at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. The April 28 election also comes as Spain's traditional bipartisan politics have crumbled into five main contenders, spurring the race for votes in the overrepresented hinterland, where nearly one third of seats in the parliament's lower house are up for grabs. Following the trotted path of far-right parties elsewhere, Vox is posed to grab 29 to 37 deputies in the national parliament on Sunday, a big splash for a party that only last year made its first big advance with a win in the regional election in Andalusia, a Socialist stronghold. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Vox's Ciudad Real provincial candidate Ricardo Chamorro, left, and Toyan Patón during a meeting with local farmers at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. A lawyer with solid traditional convictions, Chamorro's political career reflects the tectonic changes undergoing Spain's right. He fell out with the Popular Party (PP), the alpha male of Spanish politics for decades, over corruption scandals and what he sees as a departure from conservative moral positions. Although tempted by the center-right Citizens party's resolve against separatism, he ended up embracing the national-populism of Vox, which also vows to defend Spain from Muslims and communists, and whose program echoes the "get back control" mantra of other anti-elitist movements around the globe. Following the trotted path of far-right parties elsewhere, Vox is posed to grab 29 to 37 deputies in the national parliament on Sunday, a big splash for a party that only last year made its first big advance with a win in the regional election in Andalusia, a Socialist stronghold. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, cattle graze near La Bienvenida village, central Spain. Nestled at the top of a hill, the village of La Bienvenida has gone from hosting 50 families only 20 years ago to “for sale” signs on house after house. A 37-year-old dairy farmer nearby is the breadwinner in the one and only inhabited house around.(AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Alfonso Ruiz poses for a portrait in La Bienvenida village, central Spain. Once the mayor of his village, today Alfonso, his wife Marcy and their son are the only residents left. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Marcy Jurado poses for a portrait in La Bienvenida village, central Spain. When the last student left and the school closed, Jurado knew that her village, the heart of the Alcudia valley in central Spain, was about to stop beating. One by one, gone were also the health center, the church and the local bar, the valley's soul. "That's when we knew there was no way back," the 64 year-old said looking down to the empty square of La Bienvenida. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019, photo, a sealed door of a house for sale in Puertollano, near Ciudad Real, central Spain. Spanish politicians are swapping campaign buses for tractors, buddying up with hunters and inspecting home-grown tomatoes in Spain’s often-neglected rural regions as they hunt for votes in Sunday’s general election, one of the country’s most polarized votes in decades.(AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, farmers attend a meeting with Spanish far right party Vox at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. The April 28 election also comes as Spain's traditional bipartisan politics have crumbled into five main contenders, spurring the race for votes in the overrepresented hinterland, where nearly one third of seats in the parliament's lower house are up for grabs. Following the trotted path of far-right parties elsewhere, Vox is posed to grab 29 to 37 deputies in the national parliament on Sunday, a big splash for a party that only last year made its first big advance with a win in the regional election in Andalusia, a Socialist stronghold. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, villagers gather at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. With nearly 400,000 voters in a country of 37 million, Ciudad Real is a microcosm of the weight of rural areas in national politics. In the last general election, in 2016, three of the five deputies chosen by the province went to the PP conservatives and two to the Socialists. But reflecting the crisis of bipartisan politics, polls are predicting now at least two seats for the Socialists and one for PP, with the remaining two going for a few thousand votes of difference to either two of the once-dominant parties, or even a split between the center-right Citizens and Vox. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
Spain's electoral rules grant a bigger say in parliament's lower house to provinces with shrinking populations. A few thousand votes in these areas can swing a win for one party or another, turning the "every vote counts" cliché into a reality for candidates far from the big cities.
In this April 10, 2019 photo, deers graze at Lagunes ranch, central Spain. Spanish politicians are swapping campaign buses for tractors, buddying up with hunters and inspecting home-grown tomatoes in Spain’s often-neglected rural regions as they hunt for votes in Sunday’s general election.(AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, villagers attend a meeting with Spanish far right party Vox at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. The April 28 election also comes as Spain's traditional bipartisan politics have crumbled into five main contenders, spurring the race for votes in the overrepresented hinterland, where nearly one third of seats in the parliament's lower house are up for grabs. Following the trotted path of far-right parties elsewhere, Vox is posed to grab 29 to 37 deputies in the national parliament on Sunday, a big splash for a party that only last year made its first big advance with a win in the regional election in Andalusia, a Socialist stronghold. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Vox's Ciudad Real provincial candidate Ricardo Chamorro, left, and Toyan Patón during a meeting with local farmers at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. A lawyer with solid traditional convictions, Chamorro's political career reflects the tectonic changes undergoing Spain's right. He fell out with the Popular Party (PP), the alpha male of Spanish politics for decades, over corruption scandals and what he sees as a departure from conservative moral positions. Although tempted by the center-right Citizens party's resolve against separatism, he ended up embracing the national-populism of Vox, which also vows to defend Spain from Muslims and communists, and whose program echoes the "get back control" mantra of other anti-elitist movements around the globe. Following the trotted path of far-right parties elsewhere, Vox is posed to grab 29 to 37 deputies in the national parliament on Sunday, a big splash for a party that only last year made its first big advance with a win in the regional election in Andalusia, a Socialist stronghold. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, cattle graze near La Bienvenida village, central Spain. Nestled at the top of a hill, the village of La Bienvenida has gone from hosting 50 families only 20 years ago to “for sale” signs on house after house. A 37-year-old dairy farmer nearby is the breadwinner in the one and only inhabited house around.(AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Alfonso Ruiz poses for a portrait in La Bienvenida village, central Spain. Once the mayor of his village, today Alfonso, his wife Marcy and their son are the only residents left. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, Marcy Jurado poses for a portrait in La Bienvenida village, central Spain. When the last student left and the school closed, Jurado knew that her village, the heart of the Alcudia valley in central Spain, was about to stop beating. One by one, gone were also the health center, the church and the local bar, the valley's soul. "That's when we knew there was no way back," the 64 year-old said looking down to the empty square of La Bienvenida. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019, photo, a sealed door of a house for sale in Puertollano, near Ciudad Real, central Spain. Spanish politicians are swapping campaign buses for tractors, buddying up with hunters and inspecting home-grown tomatoes in Spain’s often-neglected rural regions as they hunt for votes in Sunday’s general election, one of the country’s most polarized votes in decades.(AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, farmers attend a meeting with Spanish far right party Vox at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. The April 28 election also comes as Spain's traditional bipartisan politics have crumbled into five main contenders, spurring the race for votes in the overrepresented hinterland, where nearly one third of seats in the parliament's lower house are up for grabs. Following the trotted path of far-right parties elsewhere, Vox is posed to grab 29 to 37 deputies in the national parliament on Sunday, a big splash for a party that only last year made its first big advance with a win in the regional election in Andalusia, a Socialist stronghold. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
In this April 10, 2019 photo, villagers gather at a bar in Brazatortas, on the edge of the Alcudia valley, central Spain. With nearly 400,000 voters in a country of 37 million, Ciudad Real is a microcosm of the weight of rural areas in national politics. In the last general election, in 2016, three of the five deputies chosen by the province went to the PP conservatives and two to the Socialists. But reflecting the crisis of bipartisan politics, polls are predicting now at least two seats for the Socialists and one for PP, with the remaining two going for a few thousand votes of difference to either two of the once-dominant parties, or even a split between the center-right Citizens and Vox. (AP PhotoBernat Armangue)
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that Europe could “die” if it fails to build its own robust defense as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, or if it fails to undertake major trade and economic reforms to compete with China and the U.S.
Macron urged Europeans to become more ambitious in a fast-changing world to face the challenges of war, fierce trade competition, energy scarcity, climate change and increasing authoritarianism.
In a nearly two-hour speech at Sorbonne University in Paris, Macron said that the continent is divided and “too slow and lacks ambition” at a time when the 27-member European Union needs to become a superpower, defend its own borders and speak with one voice if it wants to survive and thrive.
“Our Europe today is mortal,” Macron said. “It can die and that depends solely on our choices,” he added. He called on people to make those choices now because, “it’s today that Europe is between war and peace.”
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, is an existential threat and Europe isn't armed enough to defend itself when “confronted by a power like Russia that has no inhibitions, no limits,” Macron said.
‘Our ability to ensure our security is at stake," Macron said. “Russia mustn’t be allowed to win.”
Europe now has the “good fortune” of having the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, Macron said. But, in a year of key elections around Europe, in the U.S. and elsewhere, support may fragment or disappear entirely, he added.
“Europe must become capable of defending its interests, with its allies by our side whenever they are willing, and alone if necessary,” Macron said.
Strong armies, a European rapid intervention program and force, tanks, a missile shield and other weapons, produced in Europe, will need the support of “a joint diplomatic force that will speak with one voice and build bridges with Africa and Latin America,” the French leader said.
“Only then will Europe show that it's not a United States’ lap dog, and that it also knows how to talk to other regions of the world,” he said.
France has been a firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with other Western leaders as he has insisted that Europe must stand by the country at any cost. The French president alarmed European leaders by saying recently that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.
Referring to trade practices of China and the U.S., Macron said “the two world powers have decided not to respect the rules of global trade” by shoring up protections and subsides while Europe’s industry remains open and is stuck in overregulation.
“Let’s do the same, we are in competition,” Macron said.
“We must buy faster, we must produce more and we must buy more that is made in Europe. That is key,” Macron said.
Thursday's speech came less than two months before a pivotal European Parliament election.
Macron, an avid advocate of a united and assertive Europe, also rallied support for his centrist Renaissance party before the June 6-9 vote as far-right parties lead the moderate coalitions in the polls. He called for safeguarding democratic values as the “authoritarian model” was becoming “more popular” across the continent.
The war in Ukraine and immigration are top priorities for European Union voters, according to polls. Far-right parties have gained support by criticizing Macron’s government policies on both issues. Macron acknowledged divisions on immigration policies, including on asylum and deportation rules for those who have arrived to Europe illegally.
He emphasized the need for an effective response and Europe-wide coordination for curbing illegal immigration, closer cooperation with immigrants' countries of origin and a unified, relentless fight against human traffickers.
Macron criticized the idea of striking an agreement, as Britain as done, with countries in Africa and elsewhere to transfer immigrants there.
“This is a betrayal of our values that ultimately leads us to dependency on other counties,” Macron said.
The British government earlier this week approved a law allowing the deportation of some migrants who enter the country illegally to Rwanda.
Macron lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, the National Assembly, after the 2022 election to the far-left coalition and the far-right National Rally party.
The social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host the Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers and police officers, and farmer demonstrations in recent weeks. The protests follow huge rallies last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Barbara Surk reported from Nice, France. Lorne Cook contributed to this report from Brussels.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives to deliver a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne University, Thursday, April 25 in Paris. 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron will outline his vision for Europe as a more assertive global power at the backdrop of war in Ukraine, security, and economic challenges in a speech ahead of pivotal election for the European Parliament in June. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, April 18, 2024. European Union leaders on Wednesday debated a new "European Competitiveness Deal" aimed at helping the 27-nation bloc close the gap with Chinese and American rivals amid fears the region's industries will otherwise be left behind for good. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
