Less than 24 hours before the electoral campaign for the European elections to be held in Spain on June 9 begins, the PP candidates, Dolors Montserratand from the PSOE, Teresa Riberato the elections they have faced a face to face on laSexta intense, but with content and without mud that has begun with the extreme right at the center of the debate.

The first criticism came from Ribera when he saw that His opponent did not clarify whether he would support the extreme right to maintain power in the European Commission. Ana Pastor has asked this question on two occasions to the head of the PP list for these elections, who has not said whether or not her party will negotiate with Vox after passing through the polls and has limited herself to saying that “if we win the elections we are going to lead the policies in the European Parliament”.

“The right is going to continue surrendering to the extreme right and that strategy of cuts and looking to the past instead of the future,” said Ribera, to whom Montserrat, for her part, has disfigured the pacts of the PSOE with Carles Puigdemont.

“Junts is your Government partner, Sánchez said of Puigdemont that he was Le Pen, and ended up handing over governance to him of Spain by only seven votes, so don’t talk to me about populism and extremism,” said Montserrat, who added: “You handed over the governance of Spain to a fugitive from Justice.”

Montserrat takes advantage of the Next Generation funds

The socialist candidate has advocated creating a new Next Generation fund for the EU. “Taxes on large European fortunes to increase the allocation of European taxes. A Next Generation II fund would have to be built,” she announced.

For its part, The PP candidate for the European elections has taken credit for the arrival of European funds to Spain. Thus, Dolors Montserrat has assured that it is the merit of the PP in Europe that Spain has received the Next Generation funds. “If they are a reality, it is thanks to the leadership, strength and initiative of the PP in Europe,” stated Montserrat.

Moderated by Ana Pastor, the face to face has been increasing in decibels to the point where Montserrat has blurted out to Ribera that she saw her “a little nervous“Calm down,” the candidate and former popular minister has insisted.

And both formations play a lot. This is the first appointment with the polls in all of Spain since the general elections of July 23 from last year. After the regional elections in Galicia, the Basque Country and Catalonia, those of the European Parliament close an electoral cycle that, a priori, will not be reopened for two years.

The PP aspires to be the first force after five years ago the PSOE won with 20 seats, eight more than the PP, although it later added one more after Brexit. And the PSOE, for its part, aspires to revalidate the victory of the last Catalan elections just 10 days ago, in which the PSC was the most voted force.

Montserrat accuses Ribera of being a “triumphalist”

The face to face has been filled with harsh criticism from both sides. In allusion to Sánchez’s statement that The Spanish economy is going “like a rocket”Montserrat has reproached Ribera that both she and her party are very “triumphalists“. “One in four young people does not have a job, the self-employed and families are suffocated by taxes, farmers and winners are going bankrupt and that is why they go out to demonstrate… While you are triumphalists, we propose real solutions,” the popular candidate snapped at him.

Meanwhile, Ribera has blamed him for “It is clear that there are elections when the PP wants to lower taxes“. He has also assured that his proposal for Europe is being made in Spain, betting on “social justice.” In addition, he has given as an example the labour reform that they have carried forward together with their government partners and with which they have obtained “quality jobs.” And he has emphasized that “during Rajoy’s six years in office, 400,000 jobs were created, while under Sánchez, six million.”

Montserrat copies the PP speech in the 12M and brings up the “problem” of squatting

In a similar line to speech adopted by the PP during the Catalan electoral campaign, Montserrat has once again brought up the issue of squatting. After the criticism of the socialist precisely for this type of speech, the popular one has insisted that “What we say is that the squatter is evicted and the foreign repeat offender is expelled.“. In addition, he has defended the “fight against mafias” and the “reinforcement of borders” as policies against irregular immigration, while he has opted for “legal and orderly” immigration.

“We have seen Feijóo talking about immigrants in the Catalan elections. What cannot be is copying Vox’s speeches in 12M“Ribera criticized.

Clash over the law of ‘only yes means yes’

From pacts with the extreme right, the economy, immigration or even the ‘law of only yes is yes’. Both candidates have clashed with different issues, but especially on this last one, the socialist candidate has seemed especially upset. Montserrat has taken out a poster in which she has criticized the coalition government that, as a result of the law of ‘only yes means yes’ More than a thousand sexual offenders have had their sentences reduced. “They have made a law that is the biggest setback in this matter in Spain,” she denounced.

“There is no Government that defends women’s rights more. The way in which you play with people bothers me,” Ribera defended, annoyed.

Montserrat assures that Sánchez wants to recognize Palestine to “cover the amnesty”

The socialist candidate has celebrated the announcement by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, this Wednesday in which he confirmed that Spain – along with Norway and Ireland – will recognize the State of Palestine on May 28. “The president has announced something very important, doing justice to a terrible situation,” said Ribera.

For his part, Monserrat has considered that foreign policy should be agreed in the Spanish Parliament and in Brussels and has dropped that Sánchez is going to recognize Palestine to “cover corruption and amnesty”. “The response of the 27 member states is always sought, what cannot be is that a man unilaterally makes decisions to cover up corruption and amnesty,” commented Montserrat, who insisted that “never to Hamas.”

Government clash with Milei

Another of the topics that they have addressed during the face to face has been the Milei clash with the Government of Spain. Ribera has attacked the PP for “supporting” Milei’s visit to Spain, behavior that he has defined as “inadmissible.” “It is intolerable and an absolute lack of respect to activate the mud machine. They lost the elections and have not been able to govern in Spain because no one accepts pacts with the extreme right. This is a way of perverting democracy and putting the institutions and this is what happened to Milei when he came to Spain to accuse the President of the Government of totally inadmissible behavior,” he assured.

Asked about the PolarizationTeresa Ribera has assured that this “threatens democracy.” “Polarization is one of the issues that most threatens democracy. It cannot be tolerated that from cultural cancellation we move to verbal aggression, attacks in Germany or an assassination attempt (in Bratislava). We must be demanding because we are at risk in this field in Europe,” he commented.

Meanwhile, the popular candidate and former minister has insisted that “against populism we must defend clear principles and provide solutions.” Furthermore, she has emphasized that “the first thing that should not be done is to normalize in Europe to hand over governability by seven votes” or to reform the Penal Code to reduce penalties for embezzlement.

Ribera’s golden minute

In her golden minute, Teresa Ribera has stated that Europe is the best thing that has happened to Spain and that is why “we want a Europe that we imagine as that of European funds, of the defense of farmers and the countryside, of ERTEs, of the joint purchase of vaccines, of clean energy, of diversity and of the fight against climate change”. A Europe that he describes as strong, social and united”, which defends peace and human rights.

However, the main enemy is found within the institutions. Ribera is clear: Europe is in danger. “An alliance of the right and the extreme right that reduces rights, reduces the social agenda, reduces a frontal view, cleanly facing the problems of the present and the future.”

Finally, the socialist candidate has assured that they want protected seniors, young people with a present and a future and with opportunities, a Europe that continues to be “the beacon of democracy, rights and freedoms.”

Montserrat golden minute

Dolors Montserrat insisted during her golden minute that “On June 9 we vote in Europe for Spain“. “I want to tell the farmers, ranchers and fishermen that we are going to continue defending them with determination, to put an end to unfair competition and excessive bureaucracy. For young people, we are going to eliminate taxes in the first days of their work so that they can emancipate themselves. For the self-employed, we are going to put an end to fiscal asphyxiation. To families, after the European Plan against Cancer, we are going to work and lead in the European Mental Health Plan,” commented the popular candidate. In addition, she concluded by assuring that she will “preserve the rule of law and equality of all Spaniards against the amnesty, I am going to do it firmly in Europe”.