PRIME minister Pedro Sanchez has predicted a sweeping victory in Spain’s upcoming general election despite unfavourable polls.
Appearing on comedy talk show La Revuelta on Thursday night, the socialist leader said his PSOE party would ‘win with an even bigger majority’ when voters head to the ballot box next month.
The statement comes as Spain’s political parties step up their campaigns ahead of the high-stakes November 29 vote.
Conservative Partido Popular (PP) leader Alberto Nuñez Feijoo and far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal have also hit the campaign trail, with a right-wing coalition between the two parties consistently polling ahead of the left over the past two weeks.
Sanchez’s interview was the most-watched non-sporting broadcast on Spanish TV this year, drawing an average audience of 4.4 million and a staggering 34% share of viewers.
More than 7.1 million people tuned in for at least part of the 90-minute conversation, making it the most-watched episode in La Revuelta’s history.
Speaking to presenter David Broncano, Sanchez tackled a string of controversies – including the Ceuta migrant crisis, corruption allegations surrounding his family and Spain’s worsening housing emergency.
The latter prompted the PM to call a snap election earlier this month, after his government failed to push two major housing decrees through parliament.
Housing has since become a key part of the PSOE campaign, with Sanchez promising €10 billion in interest-free loans to help buyers purchase their first home.
The PM has also vowed stronger protections for tenants, tax breaks and tighter rules for property investors.
His main rival, Feijoo, has meanwhile promised to build one million homes over the next four years, slash taxes for young homebuyers, and clamp down on squatters.
The conservative leader has also made corruption and the economy central to his campaign, promising to bring an end to the Sanchez era.
Meanwhile, Vox leader Santiago Abascal is campaigning for tougher immigration controls and a policy of ‘national priority’, which would give Spanish nationals first access to social housing and public assistance.
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The election battle heated up further on Thursday after the PP released a highly controversial AI-generated video showing senior socialist figures appearing to confess to crimes and corruption.
The 51-second clip, shared on the PP’s official social media accounts, used AI deepfakes to replicate the faces and voices of six figures linked to the PSOE – including Sanchez’s wife, Begoña Gomez, and former PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
The PSOE has threatened legal action in response, with party spokeswoman Rebeca Torro branding the video ‘deplorable’ and accusing the PP of resorting to personal attacks rather than debating policy.
“They have spent four years insulting and lying, and now they are using AI because they have nothing else but permanent insults,” she said.
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Meanwhile, private opinion polls suggest Sanchez faces an uphill battle to stay in power.
An average of 15 recent polls puts the PP ahead on 32.2%, followed by the PSOE on 26.4% and Vox on 18.8%, according to analysis by outlet El Voto Util.
The figures suggest Feijoo is on course to win the election, though he would need Vox’s backing to form a coalition and secure a parliamentary majority.
However, Spain’s state-run Centre for Sociological Research (CIS) paints a very different picture, putting the PSOE comfortably ahead on 34.2%, against the PP’s 22.2%.
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