Territories or Social Policies? Polarisation as the Struggle for the ‘Electoral Question’ in Spain

The 2015 general election marked the end of the traditional party system in Spain. Two new parties, Podemos and Ciudadanos, entered the national arena for the first time. Nevertheless, the incapacity of Spanish political parties to agree on the formation of a government derived a new election and the re-election of Mariano Rajoy (Popular Party) in 2016. This article departs from that moment to analyze what issues end up being the most important for the Spanish citizens when they decided their vote in 2019 local, regional and European elections. After the constitutional crisis of Catalonia in 2017, the new socialist government founded on a non-confidence motion and the emergence of a radical right party, VOX, Spanish politics have polarized. However, partisan loyalty, being in government or opposition, and the expected electoral gains explain why the territorial conflict or socio-economic issues were stressed differently depending on the party.