Pedro Sanchez. Photo: Reuters.

The municipal and regional elections in Spain left the left touched, to the point that the President of the Government announced today the advance for July of the generals.

The decision taken by the head of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, took public opinion by surprise. The general elections will be on July 23, which completely changes the prospects of a battle between the two big Spanish parties, the Socialists (PSOE) in power and the Popular (PP).

Pedro Sánchez indicated that, by virtue of his powers and after personally assuming the electoral defeat suffered this Sunday by the PSOE, he spoke with King Felipe VI to communicate the convocation of an extraordinary Council of Ministers and the dissolution of the Cortes (Parliament).

I assume the results, I appeal to the democratic mandate to the popular will, said Sánchez, in a brief speech from the Moncloa Palace.

Although the difference between the PSOE this Sunday in the municipal elections was three points with respect to the conservatives of the Popular Party, it also ceded much of the power at the regional level to the right.

Immediately, reactions came from their own ranks. The second vice president and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, wrote on her Twitter account that she is ready to take on the challenge.

"The message received last night was very clear: you have to do things differently. No distractions. From this moment we are working to win on July 23. I take on the challenge," he said.

Díaz embraces the leftist Sumar movement, possibly one of the important candidacies in the face of early elections that could change the political course of the Iberian country.

Although there is still room for negotiations, alliances and even changes in the highest positions, what is overwhelming is the solidity of the Popular Party (PP) in the big cities and practically most of the Autonomous Communities.

The center-right Ciudadanos party was sunk, but equally the damage to Podemos and its coalition partner Izquierda Unida was notable, as was the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) itself, on the ropes.

Except for some loose ends and waiting for alliances with the far right of Vox, the conservative PP can be considered the big winner of the elections and so he celebrated this morning at his headquarters on Genoa Street in Madrid.

The question that now resurfaces more strongly in the atmosphere is how much damage these elections did to the Spanish left and its impact on the general elections, located as close as July 23.

The dominance of the PP became even more marked with the overwhelming successes in Madrid, where the Community (Isabel Díaz Ayuso) and the City Council (José Luis Martínez Almeida) remained with a large majority.

Two heavyweights of the main opposition party that give luster to its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, entrenched more than ever as the card of his hosts to beat the head of the Executive and head of the PSOE, Pedro Sánchez.

Only Castilla La Mancha allowed another socialist baron, although distanced from Sánchez, to retain the position in this autonomous community. The projection of Emiliano García-Page at the moment, contains many questions.

Some already place him as the natural replacement of Sánchez at the head of the PSOE and this could have importance in the general elections of next July.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)