BACKING for Spain’s right has broken through the 50% mark for the first time in the current parliament as resentment grows over the government’s handling of the ongoing migrant crisis in Ceuta.
A poll of 2,000 respondents by research firm 40dB suggested the conservative Partido Popular (PP) would win 32.4% of the vote at a general election, making it the biggest party in Spain’s parliament.
At the same time, far-right Vox climbed to 17.8%, taking combined backing for the two right-wing parties to 50.2%.
READ MORE: Political round-up: PM Pedro Sanchez battles growing Ceuta backlash as opposition turns up the heat
The poll comes as anger continues to simmer over the mass migrant crossing into Ceuta on July 30 and 31, when around 70,000 people entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco.
Nearly nine in ten Spaniards blame Morocco for the crisis, according to the 40dB survey, while around 72% also believe socialist Pedro Sanchez’s government bears significant responsibility.
Meanwhile, Sanchez’s PSOE slipped to 27.6% – its second-worst result of the year – with the left-wing bloc of PSOE, Sumar and Podemos falling to just 36.1%.
READ MORE: The day that Spain exploded in anger for Ceuta and its people after one month of crisis
The PM’s handling of the crisis has been savaged by voters, with 63% rating his performance as either ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’.
Just 14.2% believe the Prime Minister handled the situation well.
The survey also pointed to a dramatic hardening of attitudes towards immigration, with 70% backing tougher border controls even if that means preventing vulnerable people from entering Spain.
More than eight in ten support increasing border fences and surveillance, while a similar proportion want authorities to speed up the deportation of illegal migrants.
Meanwhile, Vox is now seen as the Spanish political force most capable of managing immigration, with 27% of respondents choosing it ahead of the PSOE and PP.
The results come as the political row over Ceuta intensifies, with PP leader Alberto Nuñez Feijoo and Ceuta president Juan Jesús Vivas accusing Morocco of orchestrating the mass crossing to pressure Spain into making political concessions.
Sanchez’s government has rejected that version of events, while a police report published last week alleged that Moroccan gendarmes helped coordinate the breach.
The survey was conducted by 40dB for Spanish outlets El País and Cadena SER, using 2,000 online interviews carried out before the police report became public.
The poll also found that 63.6% of Spaniards believe Spain’s sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla should be non-negotiable.
More than six in ten said they would support military involvement if either city came under foreign attack.
Tensions are likely to keep simmering this week as the government prepares to declassify secret intelligence reports that Sanchez has relied on to defend Morocco and reject claims that Rabat was behind the mass crossing.
The documents are due to be made public after Spain’s council of ministers approves their declassification on Tuesday.
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