Reacting to the latest opinion poll, which suggests his party could gain up to five seats at the regional election next year, Xavier Pericay, the leader of Ciudadanos, has said that the party has aspirations to govern in the Balearics.
Pericay observed that the C's could become the third strongest party and that it would therefore have a central role in deciding what type of government may be formed after the May 2019 election. He didn't express any particular preference for a coalition with the Partido Popular or PSOE, insisting that the debate is no longer about right or left but about issues such as education and tackling corruption. These would be fundamental when and if the time comes for agreements to be reached.
The poll, if it is an accurate reflection of what will occur at the election, leaves options open. Neither the right nor the left has an obvious majority. Iago Negueruela of PSOE appeared to yesterday rule out any possibility of an "alternative" majority being created, i.e. one with a party or parties to the right. He preferred to point to the fragmentation on the right, with the PP divided internally and the C's representing the new "hard right". In the Balearics, he suggested, this would be the new "Bauzaism".
The minister insisted that the poll reflects the "great" chance of the current pact repeating a term in office and "consolidating the policies of change".
Biel Company of the PP said that the poll confirmed that "any change" in government will be dependent on his party. The rise of the C's, he believed, was due to the situation in Catalonia, but he noted that Ciudadanos are still "well behind" the PP. He added that he was satisfied with an approval rating of 3.8, given that he has only recently started to intervene in parliament debates.
Jaume Font of El Pi offered some words of caution. "I will not let myself be distracted by polls, even though we are doing well. Whoever does focus on them would be making a mistake. There is still a great deal to do for this current term."