The socialist won the same amount of seats on the 22nd of March as in the last regional elections, but unlike last time, they came in first – sounds a contradiction, but it’s not.

Never have the conservatives (PP) been as close to wresting the Junta from the socialists as they were in the 2012 regional elections, when they won 50 to the socialists 47, they had fallen four short of the absolute majority. A coalition government between the two left-wing parties snatched the control of the Junta from them, even though they were the most voted for party.

Fast forward to the 22nd of March 2015 and the PP thought that with all the controversy around the corruption in the socialists’ ranks they could improve on their 50 seats, but instead, they lost 17 of them. That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a tremendous kick to the testicles.

Yes, the PP won only 33 seats, which was their worst result in Andalucia in the history of the party.

But Susana Diaz, the Prime Minister of the Junta de Andalucia was not only fending off the PP on her right flank, but also the rest of the left-wing forces on her left flank: Podemos, C’s and IU.

Yet, with the worst ongoing corruption in Andalusian history gnawing from within, and the other opposition parties, both on the right and the left, gnawing away at her base from without, she managed enough seats to run a minority government which will have to form specific agreements to get acts through parliament, rather than forming a stable coalition.

So, what went wrong for the PP? The Central Government’s record, without a doubt.

The PP candidate, Juan Manuel Moreno, appointed by the divine will of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, had an impossible task – distance himself from the carnage imposed by Madrid with its austerity measures, topped off by the colossal corruption cases that riddle the party in Madrid, Balearic Islands and Valencia.

But Mariano seriously erred by choosing a complete unknown as candidate for the Andalusian elections and made the equally disastrous mistake of popping down to Andalusia, with a swarm of cabinet ministers to take part in the political rallies.

In other words, if anybody had actually managed to forget that the Andalusian PP candidate had anything to do with the Central Government, there was Mariano appearing on stage with him, holding the candidate’s hand aloft and embracing him.

Disaster.

But the biggest obstacle to the PP ever winning the Prime Minister’s office in Sevilla, is the very history of this rural region where up until 40 years ago and during centuries, the lord of the manor rode roughshod over the peasantry. In other words, it’s like the Tories winning in the post industrial, employment-depressed, north of England.

In the meantime, the two new parties, Podemos and Ciudidants, snatched up 15 and nine seats respectively; seats previously belonging to the PP and IU, so that as the electoral dust settles, both the PP and PSOE will be constantly scrutinizing the rear view mirror.

(News: Andalusia)