Although the outcome of the Aragonese elections cannot be considered a surprise, the constant growth of the far right in every election of this new political cycle should be a cause for concern, both for the political class and for the rest of society. In the case of Aragon, the pattern already seen in Extremadura has been repeated: early elections called by the PP with the intention of strengthening themselves have ended up strengthening Vox. Jorge Azcón is now objectively in a worse position than before calling the elections, as he will have to negotiate with a strengthened far right that will demand a higher price than in 2023 in exchange for his investiture. The move to bring forward the elections has backfired, because not only have the citizens not supported him as he requested to overcome Vox's deadlock, but they have punished him with two fewer seats. And now he will have to face extremely tough negotiations in which, as has already been seen in Extremadura, Abascal's party will put him under maximum pressure. In Aragon, moreover, Azcón finds himself in a paradoxical situation: opening the doors to an anti-immigration party precisely in a sparsely populated region with low unemployment that needs, precisely, immigration. Where will the workers supposedly needed to build all the data centers announced in recent years come from if not from immigration? Who is saving the primary sector, which Vox claims to defend, if not the newcomers, who are willing to do the hard farm work that locals reject? Aragon will now have to live with this contradiction and with the instability inherent in any pact with the far right, as was demonstrated when it decided to withdraw from regional governments. Therefore, if Azcón aspires to have a centrist and moderate government, one that seeks broad consensus, he should renounce any pact with Vox and be open to other types of alliances. In fact, the PSOE would do well to offer Azcón an abstention to avoid a pact or a repeat election.
The left's debacle also sends a very strong message to the Spanish government and Pedro Sánchez in particular. Despite the positive macroeconomic data, social unrest is spreading, and this time the far right is capitalizing on it. There is no doubt that we are experiencing a global conservative wave, and this has also been reflected in Aragon, which is now further to the right than ever. But the left should reflect on what it is doing wrong so that its voters don't feel alienated and stay home or even change their vote.
In short, the PP's shortsightedness, its inability to gauge its actions and its erratic strategy, and the global crisis of the left are giving wings to the far right throughout Spain. And this is very bad news for the future.
