Following the collapse of the Spanish government, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that the country will hold fresh national elections. He has set a date of April 28th and populists seem set to make gains.

The elections come after the collapse of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party-led government following a government loss on a vote regarding the 2019 budget two days prior, El Pais reports.

The election announcement comes only eight and a half months after Sánchez took up the office of Prime Minister and will occur within one month of the European Parliament elections and the Spanish regional elections, which are both set to take place in May.

Breakthrough for Anti-Mass Migration VOX Party in Spanish Regional Election https://t.co/irN9wouWDi — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 2, 2018

The elections look to be a tough battle for the ruling socialists following elections in the southern region of Andalusia last year, in which the populist, anti-mass migration party VOX were able to secure twelve seats and eleven percent of the vote — up from a mere 0.5 percent in the previous election.

VOX supported the new regional government of the conservative-leaning Popular Party (PP) and centre-right Ciudadanos, entering into a co-operation deal with the conservatives.

Polls show that the PP are the clear rivals to the Socialist Worker’s Party, with a recent Celeste-Tel poll showing both parties nearly neck and neck at 24 and 23 percent, respectively.

The poll also suggests VOX has achieved similar growth nationally as in Andalusia, sitting at nine percent.

The poll also suggests that similar cooperation between the PP, Ciudadanos, and VOX as in Andalusia could form a clear 51 percent majority in the Spanish parliament.

Spain, Celeste-Tel poll: PSOE-S&D: 24%

PP-EPP: 23% (-1)

Cs-ALDE: 19% (-1)

UP-LEFT: 16%

VOX-ECR: 9% (+1)

ERC-G/EFA: 3%

PDeCAT-*: 2%

PNV-ALDE: 1%

PACMA-LEFT: 1%

EH BILDU-LEFT: 1%

CC-ALDE: 0.3%

BNG-G/EFA: 0.2% +- v. January 2019 Field work: 1/02/19 – 7/02/19

Sample size: 1,100 pic.twitter.com/x88XvxcwuH — Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) February 13, 2019

Such a position would grant VOX kingmaker status in a potential coalition, which would likely see the issue of mass migration become a top priority.

Spain has become the main entry point for the mass influx of migrants from Africa into Europe after Italy’s populist Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini closed ports to NGOs ferrying migrants into his own country last year.

Europe Needs ‘New Blood’: Spain Expects 50,000 Migrants from North Africa https://t.co/EZbTgGQu4F — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) August 1, 2018