A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Storms to continue on Monday in Spain

Rain and storms will continue to affect much of Spain on Monday October 5th, although they will be less intense than over the weekend.

Yellow and orange weather alerts remain in some areas like Salamanca and Extremadura, and a red alert is still active in Catalonia early on Monday morning following the torrential rain which cost two people their lives in the region over the weekend.

An unstable weather front moving in from the west of Portugal will bring cloudy skies and scattered showers, especially in the central and northern regions of mainland Spain.

Temperatures will see little change, with maximums slightly increasing to over 25 C in central areas and nearing 30 C in Andalusia.

Spain’s junior coalition partner Sumar renames itself Frente Amplio

The Spanish government’s junior coalition partner Sumar is to rename itself Frente Amplio, Broad Front, ahead of the next general election.

The party emerged as an umbrella coalition uniting several progressive and regional parties ahead of the last general election in 2023, helping Pedro Sánchez’s Socialists stay in government by a slim margin. 

Headed by Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz, Sumar has acted as the more hard-left faction of the Spanish government.

The decision to change their name comes amid speculation of early elections after the government’s housing decrees were rejected in parliament. 

The new coalition will be officially presented on October 17th, when they will also announce their leader and candidate. 

Currently, there is no clear consensus on who will lead the rebranded party, with Health Minister Mónica García, Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun and Minister of Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy all possible candidates.

Spain awaits possible snap election

Following Friday’s rejection of two key housing crisis decrees by right-wing parties in parliament, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has reportedly taken the weekend to decide whether to call an early general election next month rather than in August 2027 as scheduled.

Spanish media claims Sánchez has been talking the decision over with his cabinet and party members, amid housing protests across dozens of Spanish cities this weekend following Friday’s vote.

The premise for calling a snap election would allegedly be to leverage the anger against the PP and Vox for voting against the housing measures, and for this to manifest itself in the ballot boxes.

Reports on Monday morning suggest Sánchez will announce at 9am whether he will call a snap election.

Spain names best tortilla in the country 

The winner of this year’s best Spanish potato omelette – or tortilla de patatas as we all know it – has been chosen.

Celia Clara, representing the restaurant La Teulada in Elche (Alicante), has been crowned champion at the 19th Spanish Tortilla Championship, held as part of the Alicante Gastronomic Fair.

Tortilla excellence is serious business in Spain. Contestants gain entry to the annual championships after a series of regional heats before the national cooking competition.