Juanma Moreno faces the Andalusian elections on May 17 by lowering any excess of confidence within his electorate and assuming that maintaining a sufficient majority will not be easy, as he has made clear in an interview in El Correo de Andalucía.
The president of the Junta and PP-A candidate for re-election has acknowledged that achieving it “is complex in these times” due to political fragmentation and the high number of candidacies, and has even admitted that, if he achieves it, it will be “by a very narrow margin”.
Moreno thus places the focus of the campaign on the mobilization of the vote and on avoiding a repeat of a scenario of parliamentary dependence. In his words, he is concerned about losing support and with it “freedom and independence,” although he maintains that he perceives in the street a social majority that continues to trust his Government.
The message to Vox that marks the pre-campaign
The popular leader has also launched a direct warning to Vox in the midst of the electoral countdown. Asked about the possibility of repeating elections rather than incorporating Vox into the Government, Moreno has insisted in that a repeat would be “a collective failure,” but he added a phrase with a clear campaign message: “if they ask you for the moon, it is not reasonable and it is not sensible, decisions will have to be made.”
With that formulation, Moreno tries to shield his profile of political autonomy and, at the same time, emphasize that he is not willing to accept any condition to continue governing. The message also seeks to reinforce the idea of stability in the face of a campaign that, he anticipates, PSOE and Vox will try to strain to the maximum.
Moreno accepts to debate with Montero and sets the campaign framework
Regarding the election campaign that will start on May 1, Moreno has assured that he has “no problem” debating face-to-face with the PSOE-A candidate, María Jesús Montero, although he has clarified that he wants a formula in which all parties feel represented and have space.
The Andalusian president thus tries to present himself as a candidate open to debate, but without fueling the narrative of an exclusively bipartisan duel if that generates appeals or controversies before the Electoral Board. In the background, the Andalusian PP continues trying to focus the campaign on Andalusia and on the figure of Moreno as its own brand.
Adamuz and the clash with ADIF also enter the campaign
In the same interview, Moreno has also hardened his tone against ADIF over the Adamuz railway accident. The Andalusian president has stated that the railway administrator “is taking too long to assume responsibilities” and has pointed directly to a lack of maintenance “on the track and in safety,” after the report revealing a track break 22 hours before the incident became known.
Moreno has said he feels “surprised and concerned” by that data and has defended the action of the Junta in the emergency response, assuring that, despite the specific outage of the 061 digital system, there was no neglect of the service.