In brief
BNG obtains best result ever of Galician nationalism in Galician election
Spanish conservative Popular Party gets 4th absolute majority in a row, will remain in power for and additional 4 years
The remaining 15 seats in the Galician chamber were secured by the Socialist Party (PSG-PSOE, 19.4% of the votes), Left-wing alliance Galicia in Common (Galicia en Común), made up of Spanish parties Podemos and Izquierda Unida plus Galician parties Anova and part of the Mareas, was left without any seats, taking 3.9% of the votes, below the 5% threshold required to enter seat allocation.
Another Galician nationalist candidacy, by Compromiso por Galicia, Partido Galeguista and another part of the Mareas, was also left outside Parliament with 0.2% of the votes.
BNG triples seats
Compared to the 2016 election, the BNG triples its seats (19, up from 6), PP remains exactly at the same figure, while PSG-PSOE adds one to their previous 14. The other side of the coin is Galicia in Common, which loses all 14 seats it won four years ago under the En Marea brand, formed by the same parties. Of those 14 seats, 3 had belonged to Galician nationalist parties (Anova 2 and Cerna 1).
BNG leader Ana Pontón yesterday said that last night’s result places the Galician party as the most solid alternative to break the absolute majority of Spanish conservatives in the next four years.
The resurgence of BNG is remarkable, given the crisis it has been going through since 2010. The party suffered several splits (the most notable being the one by Anova in 2012, led by its historic leader Xosé Manuel Beiras), was left as the smallest party in the Galician Parliament, and lost representation in the Spanish Congress.
BNG’s 19 seats are the largest result of Galician nationalism in the 39-year history of the Galician Parliament. The highest figure so far dated from 1997, when the BNG, led by Beiras, had obtained 18 seats. It is true that, on that occasion, despite having one seat less, the percentage of votes (25.1%) was higher. As is the case now, the absolute majority of the PP —on that occasion led by Manuel Fraga— prevented the BNG from being able to form a left-wing government in coalition with the socialists.