MADRID, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Spain’s main opposition People’s Party (PP) on Tuesday presented an election manifesto promising to cut taxes, tighten borders, impose stricter conditions on development aid and slow climate timetables ahead of an election on November 29.
Here are some of the pledges by the conservative party that opinion polls show ahead of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists, but which would likely need an alliance with the far-right, anti-immigration Vox party to be able to govern:
IMMIGRATION
• Ban “mass and indiscriminate regularisation” of migrants
• Set annual quotas for work visas in certain sectors, restricted to migrants from countries that “cooperate on returns and on controlling irregular immigration”
• Armed Forces to provide support for border control when national security requires it
• Ban Islamic face veils in public spaces
• Limit certain welfare benefits to those with “real, lasting and verifiable ties” to Spain
• Regulate the loss of nationality of naturalised Spanish citizens, applying it to those convicted of crimes “against life, sexual freedom, national security, the integrity of the State or the international community”
CLIMATE
• Halt “impossible” climate target timetables and withdraw obligations that “harm competitiveness, industry or employment”. The manifesto still calls decarbonisation a “key objective” for Europe
TAXES, SPENDING, REGULATION
• Cut VAT on basic food items for as long as “the current crisis of inflation and purchasing power persists”
• Cut income tax for people on minimum wage to 0%
• Increase pay and troop numbers for the army
• Scrap three rules for each new regulation created
INTERNATIONAL
• Resume dialogue with Britain on the EU-Gibraltar deal which the party highlights was not endorsed by Spain’s Congress
• On the United States, “recover the transatlantic link” and work towards a “balanced and strong relationship” avoiding trade wars
• On Ukraine, maintain “political, economic, military and humanitarian support” and sanctions on Russia, “for as long as its aggression lasts”
(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee, additional reporting by Pietro Lombardi, editing by Andrei Khalip)
