PP refuses to accept reality of having to govern with Vox in Castilla y León after regional election result

1. The two-party establishment block system in Castilla y León has been going downhill since 2011. Now instead of Podemos and Ciudadanos, voters have chosen more Vox and more provincial parties. This other way of organising the chart shows that well:

2. Those 10 years of an ever weaker two-party system coincide with the rise of populism and widespread ideological shouting on Twitter, TV and parliamentary live feeds. Do they shout more to make themselves heard in that environment or does the shouting cause the split?

3. Reuters: "Spain's far-right Vox to enter coalition in Castile and Leon region after vote". They highlight Abascal's demand last night for García-Gallardo to become deputy regional leader. Link

4. FT: "Spain’s far-right Vox seeks place in regional government after elections". "The hardline party, which says it wants to “repopulate Spain with Spaniards” instead of immigrants, more than tripled its share of the vote..." Link

5. El País: “The PP is in Vox's hands now”. Editorial: “Casado (PP) fails to achieve all his goals”.

6. El Mundo: “A pyrrhic victor for Mañueco that leaves the PP in the hands of Vox”. Editorial: “Harsh reality hits the PP”.

7. ABC: “The PP wins, Vox decides”. In their editorial, ABC tries to help Casado out a bit: “Another failure for Sánchez”.

8. How should we interpret the switch from Ciudadnos to Vox? Is it Arrimadas's gang who have now gone over to Abascal? Or people unhappy with Casado? Cs lost 151,000 votes, Vox gained 136,000. Cs had 206,000 votes, Vox has 212,000. Cs had 12 seats, Vox has 13.

9. In its editorial, El Mundo tells Casado to quickly turn into Madrid leader Ayuso: “Madrid's liberal policies have become the most successful counterpoint to the radical drift of Sanchismo [...] As Aznar warned, it is all about uniting, not dividing”. Link

10. El País: “The doubt from now on will be how far Casado's leadership of his party is questioned. When Ayuso copies Abascal, she slows him down; when Casado tries it, he pushes him forwards”. Link

11. ABC: “Now the PP, which closed the night with a bitter taste in its mouth, is completely dependent on the will of Vox.” The PP might not form a government with Vox “so as not to strengthen them further in the face of a future general election”. Link

12. García Egea (PP) has said today on the radio that he does not like coalition governments, except the PP one in Andalusia with Ciudadnos. They want a regional PP government in Castilla y León and “to talk to everyone”. Can they avoid marrying Vox? Link

13. And listening to Mañueco this morning too, it is clear that the PP's talking point today is to want to govern by themselves and to try to force Vox look bad with an abstention or a vote against a PP government. Policy solutions, not jobs for the boys. Link

14. Is a PP-PSOE coalition a minimally feasible idea in Castilla y León or would that just be electoral death in a political Spain whose habitual vindictiveness has been multiplied in recent years by populist polarisation and the increasingly immediate media tech environment?

15. Mañueco repeats what Egea said: PP says today there is no longer a risk of a motion of no confidence. Do they not think Vox capable of setting a trap for them in a year or two when Abascal has made it clear on TV the “the cowardly right” isn't useful? Link

16. García-Gallardo (Vox) has just replied to Mañueco and Egea (PP): “If someone wanted the Popular Party to govern alone [...] they should have voted for the Popular Party [...] I'm not going to gift my votes to anyone”. Link

17. García-Gallardo shatters Mañueco and Egea's hope of a Vox abstention in favor of a PP government: “Either the course of Castilla y León changes, or we will not facilitate any government”. Vox or nothing. “We are not going to just give our votes to the Popuar Party”. Blunt.

18. García-Gallardo (Vox): “They should lose all hope of us just giving them our votes. We are not going to facilitate their government in exchange for anything. That has to be clear”. He can't make it any clearer to Casado, Egea and Mañueco (PP).

19. That's that then. A disaster for Casado and Egea. Either Vox or the PSOE or nothing. In the strange hypothetical event the PP were to go with Sánchez, Abascal would be on TV every day: “Have you seen that? Right-wing cowards making friends with socialists and communists”.

20. The PSOE blames PP: they wanted to call the elections like this, says federal executive committee spokesman Felipe Sicilia: “Mr. Casado's failure is now being exploited in this case by Vox”. PSOE rules out supporting a minority PP government in Castilla y León.

21. But there is a big question for the socialists here: if the PSOE fears the entry of “the far right” into government so much, because they believe the rights of citizens, women or minorities are in danger, why don't they abstain and allow Mañueco (PP) to govern alone?

22. Izquierda Unida says it will do a “rigorous analysis” of its result in Castilla y León. Had they even taken part in the campaign? Their best result was five seats...in 1995. From then, all downhill: 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0. This year, also zero. What do they have to analyse?

23. The home page of Diario Sur at this moment, across the whole page: “Andalusia government slows down Vox rush and puts early regional elections off to the end of the year”. PP leader there doesn't want to become the PP leader in Castilla y León.