The Spanish prime minister claims immigration is essential to prevent long-term economic decline, even as more than one million illegal migrants apply for legal status.
The migration ‘regularization’ process has already exceeded the government’s official forecasts, with more than 1.27 million applications compared with the half a million initially estimated by the government.
Mass grants of Spanish nationality to overseas descendants have ignited a political battle over the census, non-resident voting, and the government’s bid to redraw the electoral map before the next election.
Sánchez defies any political logic known in Western democracies. No leader could even attempt to cling to power while completely surrounded by serious judicial investigations, but he does not abide by the conventional rules of politics.
The former transport minister was convicted over a pandemic-era contracts scheme, while opposition parties demanded the Spanish PM resign and call elections.
Pedro Sánchez is summoning the long-silent ghosts of the past in an attempt to publicly humiliate the victors of the civil war. In so doing, he has likely opened Pandora’s box—even if he has not yet realised it.
