Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez is trailing behind his conservative rival in all opinion polls ahead of the only televised election debate.
Despite narrowing the gap in recent weeks, Sanchez still faces an uphill battle. The debate with Alberto Nunez Feijoa is set for Monday at 10 pm in Madrid, with five polls favoring the conservative candidate.
While four surveys suggest Feijoa may form a coalition government with the hard-right party Vox, four others show Sanchez gaining some support but still far behind./cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/LR6OIUNK5ZEDZAYKB5MBGOAXS4.jpg)
Feijoa’s decision to decline debates with national candidates and capitalize on the momentum from regional and municipal elections in May has boosted his position.
One poll by El Pai’s indicates the right-wing block falling short of the 176-majority mark by seven seats.
Feijoa’s intention to govern alone seems unlikely based on the current poll numbers, as at least one major party would need to abstain in a confidence vote to pave the way for his leadership.
Sanchez has been actively engaging with the media recently, trying to win over voters with a media blitz, including interviews with journalists he previously avoided during his five-year government term.