Millions of people gathered last night, in front of the television, to follow the face to face between the leader of the PSOE, Pedro Sanchez, and that of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Consequently, the first thing that should be done is to hold a debate of these characteristics, in a country where interest in politics and the credibility of politicians are not going through their best moments. All this despite the muddy nature that the debate had at many times. Being a single turn, the two candidates played a lot. While Feijóo’s objective was to consolidate the advantage that the polls give him, Sánchez had the challenge of taking advantage of the debate to mobilize his own and cut off the transfer of votes to the right that the PSOE suffers. At the end of the confrontation, it is convenient to ask several questions, not just one. Who won the debate in terms of argumentation? Who better offered the image of the ruler to which his potential voters aspire? Finally, to what extent can the victory of one or the other of the candidates change the trend of some polls?
The first question will be the subject of emergency surveys and gatherings led not only by experts, but also by thousands of citizens. Feijóo warned, a few days ago, that the sets are not his forte. However, he surprised Sánchez in the field in which he was supposed to be safer, that of the economy, which he occupied for the first half hour. With data that was not always verifiable, but they were used forcefully and skillfully. With that, He managed to put Sánchez on the defensive. The limitation in time did not allow clarifying the data provided by the candidates. What we now call ‘fact-checking’. In this sense, it seems to us that the logical thing would have been for the two candidates to have a second opportunity.
The question that for many voters is as important or more important than the first is who won in image, in attitude. Who offers more guarantees to concerned citizens. It may seem superfluous to worry about the tone or the look of the candidates, but they are factors that influence voters, to confirm perceptions or modify them. In that sense, The attitude adopted by Feijóo during the debate unnerved Sánchez on more than one occasion. He exposed his arguments harshly, and without regard for the newspaper library, but left aside those attitudes that can confuse him with the mood of the extreme right. The image of a Feijóo handling chips in front of a Sánchez with a ring binder will go down in history.
In 1993, a famous debate allowed Philip Gonzalez modify the sign of the surveys that were favorable to Jose Maria Aznar. It doesn’t look like Sánchez got it last night and he won’t have another chance. His challenge was to mobilize his own, arguing that Feijóo will not be able to govern without the support of Vox. However, the leader of the PP limited himself to getting away with these accusations, seeking a symmetry with Sánchez’s pacts with Basque and Catalan independentistas. An argument of great weight for the Spanish public opinion. There are 12 days left for the elections and it is early for a final prediction, but it does not seem that Sánchez has obtained the extension that the debate could mean.