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Spain’s ruling Socialist party candidate for prime minister says it will be harder for him to win November 20 elections than for his football team Real Madrid to beat Barcelona.
Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba is leading the campaign for the Socialist Party, but trailing by about 15 percentage points behind the conservative opposition Popular Party, led by Mariano Rajoy.
“At the moment, it would be easier for Madrid to beat Barcelona than for me to overcome Rajoy,” the 60-year-old Rubalcaba, a renowned Real Madrid fan, told sports daily Marca in a televised interview.
“There is no doubt about it,” he said in a lighthearted exchange.
Latest polls give the Socialist Party 30.3-31.0 percent support compared to 45.3-47.4 percent for the Popular Party as voters vent their frustration at the economic crisis and an unemployment rate of 21.53 percent.
If the polls prove correct on election day, it would lead to the Socialists’ worst defeat in history.
Real Madrid is actually doing much better than that, leading the Liga table with 25 points to defending champions Barcelona’s 24.