The elections in Andalusia trigger the replacement of María Jesús Montero

Barcelona / MadridOne of the first consequences of the announcement of elections in Andalusia This will mark María Jesús Montero's departure from the Spanish government. The Vice President and Minister of Finance will have to pack her bags to become the PSOE candidate in the elections, which were announced yesterday by President Juanma Moreno Bonilla. Sources close to the Socialist minister confirm that Montero will step down "soon," without specifying a timeline, while she herself indicated tonight on SER radio that she would make the move "in the coming days." In any case, this will entail a more or less significant reshuffle in Pedro Sánchez's cabinet, which will lose the figure who spearheaded the budget negotiations, the new financing model, and also the transfer of income tax revenue that ERC is demanding in order to approve the budget in Catalonia.

With the question of whether Tuesday's meeting will be Montero's last cabinet meeting still unanswered, two options are on the table in the immediate future. On the one hand, the Spanish president could opt for a surgical reshuffle within the cabinet, as he did with Pilar Alegría in Aragon. At that time, he appointed the now-Minister Elma Saiz as spokesperson and named Milagros Tolón to the Education portfolio. The other option is for Sánchez to carry out a broader reshuffle to face the final stretch of his term. So far, Socialist sources have leaned toward the first option, even considering the possibility of merging the Finance and Economy ministries, currently headed by Carlos Cuerpo. In any case, beyond the sectoral reshuffle, Sánchez will also have to decide who will assume the first vice-presidency of the government.

In an interview with SER radio this Monday, Montero attributed the early election call to an "electoral tactic" by the PP (People's Party) in response to a "rise" in the polls for the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and a deteriorating health situation in Andalusia. The Andalusian president, however, denied this Tuesday on COPE radio that his objective was to catch the Socialists off guard: "It was the most suitable date to facilitate maximum participation," he said, citing the Seville Fair and the Pope's visit to Spain as "social events" that could disrupt voting in the elections, which were to be held no later than June. Moreno, nevertheless, called for combating abstention and highlighted his main campaign message: appealing to Vox voters for a strategic vote. His goal, after all, is to retain his absolute majority in the regional government and not have to depend on the far right. "I believe that many Vox voters will trust in stability," he said.

"Trust," "a sensible majority," and "stability" are the three concepts the regional president has used, also in statements to Onda Cero radio, to champion the PP's candidacy against that of the PSOE, which he denied generates any "enthusiasm," and that of Santiago Abascal's party. Regarding the far-right, he emphasized that they are a "different" party from the PP and that, while they may agree on economic issues, on other matters they are "very far apart." "What's at stake is having a sensible majority or getting ourselves into a mess," he said, trying to dismiss the idea of ​​a scenario of dependence on the far right. A scenario that progressive forces will surely use as a scare tactic to mobilize left-wing voters for the elections. Montero, for example, has called for a "great mobilization" in favor of public education and healthcare and the right to housing.

To the left of the Socialists, the federal coordinator of United Left and the party's Andalusian candidate, Antonio Maíllo, has added opposition to the US-Israeli war in Iran to his defense of public services. "Peace will be a decisive debate [in the elections]," he said in statements to TVE, where he accused Moreno Bonilla of "looking the other way" regarding the potential use of the US bases in Rota and Morón, both in Andalusia, to wage war in the Middle East. "He hasn't raised his voice [...] He hasn't taken a stand," Maíllo criticized, taking the opportunity to call for a vote for Por Andalucía, the candidacy he leads, which United Left shares with Sumar. The question at this point is whether Podemos will also join or if, like Adelante Andalucía, it will run separately again.