Before more than a thousand people, of all ages, on the central avenue of the Murillo Gardens, just a few meters from the San Telmo Palace, headquarters of the Andalusian Government, among palm trees, blooming oleanders and a lot of pollen for allergy sufferers, the president of the Junta and candidate for re-election for the PP, Juan Manuel Moreno, has launched the electoral campaign with the challenge of renewing an absolute majority that would make him the first popular baron not to have to depend on Vox since Extremadura inaugurated the electoral cycle last December. A springtime and almost intimate event, to the rhythm of Kilómetro Sur (performed by a group of young Sevillians commissioned by the PP to perform the song) and, of course, less frantic than four years ago, when the Andalusian leader kicked off the campaign first in Málaga and then in Seville; and more idyllic than in 2018, when he did so in front of where the brothel linked to the corruption scandal of the Andalusian Foundation for Training and Employment (Faffe) was located during the socialist governments.
The president of the Junta has made a positive review of his management over the last four years: job creation, record foreign investment… “We are very prone to forget and when someone makes a review I ask citizens not to forget, to do an exercise of where we were, paralysis, lack of enthusiasm… and where we are,” said the popular leader. “You have to help me review what we have done together for society and to improve this land.”
Moreno starts the campaign wrapped in the optimism that the polls predict, which put within reach the renewal of the absolute majority. But that prospect also becomes the main threat if he does not reach the 55 deputies that separate that “stability” majority, as he calls the absolute majority, from having to depend on the ultra party, a link that, as those of Santiago Abascal remind him, he already tied himself to in 2018 when he made a pact with them to govern, and which he publicly emphasizes he does not want to repeat.
Four years ago he appealed to the useful vote to break that tie and that is the same strategy he is using now with his mantra: “stability or trouble,” but this afternoon, besides distancing himself from Vox, he has used the message to distance himself from the socialist past. “On May 17 we cannot get into trouble. When things go well we cannot depend on those who want to put sticks in our wheels, blackmail us or go back to the darkest past,” Moreno said.
Although his team assures that the campaign strategy is to talk only about Andalusia and avoid the noise of national politics, among which is the “priority of Vox,” Moreno has not shied away from confronting the Government of Spain, which he has accused of having “neglected” the community. “It is the one that has shown the least affection and empathy with Andalusia in history,” he argued, citing as an example the lack of investment in infrastructure in the province of Seville. The popular leader has resorted to the well-worn territorial grievance and has criticized the special financing proposed by the former first vice president and socialist candidate for the Junta, María Jesús Montero: “We will always raise our voice to defend the interests of Andalusia, because we know that after May 17 they will cede the entire tax collection to Catalonia.” And for that, according to the popular baron, it is necessary to renew the absolute majority. “Against the privileges of some we need a strong government to defend the interests of Andalusians who want to be equal to a Catalan, a Basque, and for that we need strong governments to be forceful in defending Andalusia,” he emphasized.
Moreno needs to keep his people on edge and is appealing not to be carried away by overconfidence and take a victory for granted that, if not achieved, would force him to yield to Vox and endanger the personalist leadership, that Juanma brand, far above the party’s initials, that he has managed to consolidate during these years in power. “Nothing is won,” he warned his people.
The feelings among his people, however, are good. “We see the same warmth and citizen enthusiasm for the president as four years ago,” members of his closest team indicate about the shows of support they have perceived in recent weeks where he has attended fairs and pilgrimages. That is why his pre-campaign is being friendly, seeking to exploit that closeness — selfies with supporters and videos with dogs — and to distance himself from national political issues that are uncomfortable for him, to encapsulate the campaign in Andalusia, insist the campaign officials consulted.
