Sánchez invokes Asterix, urging pride in Europe's Gallic village

At a rally in Gijón ahead of the November 29 general election, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cited Lula's victory in Brazil, saying, “If Brazil succeeded, Spain can too,” and urged supporters to take pride in being Europe's “Gallic village.”

Spanish Prime Minister and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sánchez cited Lula da Silva's election victory in Brazil at a rally in Gijón, in the Asturias region, ahead of the November 29 general election.

Sánchez said, "Take pride in being Europe's Gallic village and a beacon of hope amid all this darkness in the world." Calling on his supporters to vote on November 29, Sánchez said, "If Brazil succeeded, Spain can too. On November 29, hope will defeat regression."

A reference to Asterix

The phrase "Gallic village" refers to the last Gallic village in the Asterix comics that refused to surrender to the Roman Empire. With the analogy, Sánchez portrayed Spain as a country resisting the rising right-wing wave in Europe.

Taking to the podium in a red shirt, Sánchez said the election represented a choice between "progress and the past, solidarity and injustice, love and hatred." The rally filled the 3,000-seat hall at the fairgrounds, while around 1,000 people were unable to enter.

A pledge to protect pensions in the Constitution

Sánchez pledged to amend the Constitution in the new legislative term to guarantee pensions and their adjustment in line with inflation. Sánchez, who said they were targeting the 176 lawmakers needed for an absolute majority, also targeted the People's Party and the far-right Vox, saying, "Voting for Feijóo is the same as voting for Vox."

Sánchez also said the far right was interested in Spain, recalling the support that Argentine President Javier Milei, U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had given to Vox leader Santiago Abascal.

Thanks from Lula

Brazilian President Lula da Silva thanked Sánchez for his support and described the two countries as "allies in global progressivism." In the second round on October 25, Lula defeated his rival Flávio Bolsonaro by more than 4 million votes and was elected president for the fourth time.

The election campaign in Spain is continuing under the shadow of violent incidents in Barcelona and Bilbao in recent days.

Sánchez invokes Asterix, urging pride in Europe's Gallic village