Spain’s Ceuta crisis: Polls show widespread disapproval of Sánchez as PP and Vox pass 50%

Nearly nine out of ten Spaniards hold Morocco responsible for the surge of migrant crossings into Ceuta in late July, according to a recent poll. A majority of those surveyed, 40dB, also rated Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's response to the crisis as "bad" or "very bad." This sentiment contributed to a decrease in support for Sanchez's party.

The poll, conducted among 2,000 individuals for El Pais newspaper and radio station SER, revealed a growing preference for the conservative and far-right Vox party. Moralisations of responsibility for the crisis shifted towards Morocco, human-trafficking groups, disinformation on social media, the migrants themselves, and the Spanish government, with Spanish officials receiving the highest blame at 72%.

Only 14.2% of respondents praised Sanchez's handling of the situation, with most criticizing his response as being too slow. The combined voting intentions for the conservative People's Party and Vox reached 50.2%, marking their potential right-wing alliance as the first to breach the 50% mark in an opinion poll during this legislature.

Meanwhile, the center-left bloc dropped to 36.1%, while Sanchez's Socialist Party fell to 27.6%. About 27% of respondents identified Vox as the most capable party in addressing immigration concerns, followed by the Socialists at 18.4% and the PP at 13.9%. A majority of respondents, 70%, favored stricter border controls over protecting vulnerable migrants, and 82% supported increasing fences and surveillance at Spain's borders.