Juan Luis Manfredi (The Conversation) | The elections in Spain do not represent a second round nor a referendum or a presidential test. They cannot be compared to those of last April 28 despite the strategic over-action of political leaders. The socialist party had too much confidence on their advisors, the CIS public research institute poll and a social media-based campaign.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | If governance in Spain was difficult before and leaders apparently lacked the ability of forming stable alliances, now the picture is even more complicated. All leaders except far right party VOX and nationalists have failed, although no one admits it nor takes responsibility.
Alvise Lennkh (Scope Ratings) | The imprisonment of the Catalan separatist leaders has exacerbated regional tensions, with potentially profound political consequences, although the short term economic impact of the latest separatist protests will be limited.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | The political parties’ electoral strategies will be revealed this week in the televised debates scheduled for Monday night (the five party leaders, shown by various channels) and Thursday night. Thursday night’s debate, the so-called women’s debate, is organised by La Sexta, the main channel for the left. To these two debates must be added the weather, in other words the turnout, which could cause problems for all the candidates, with theories for every taste. All want to mobilise their sleeping or fed up voters on November 10, all fear that a low turn out will prejudice them; and a rainy Sunday is not a day for voting.
Enrique Badía | Considered by many as something new, fakes have a long history with many examples. Normally, any lie, hoax or distortion of reality merits consideration. And it is under this last interpretation that the campaign for the 10 November elections seems pretty fake, not only because some lies are slipping in – that too – but because they are giving everybody a distorted image of reality. They are hiding, because they do not mention the important challenges and tasks that the government emerging from the elections will have to face, sooner or later … who knows what decisions it will take after winning power if it does not have to explain it.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | The electoral campaign from which will emerge the new Parliament and, perhaps, a government remains wrapped in this week´s “Catalunya in flames” with unforeseeable consequences, above all among the 20% of undecided voters.
Edwin Amenta (The Conversation) | Entrepreneur and political novice Andrew Yang is hoping a wild gambit will help him win the Democratic presidential nomination: give 10 American families US$1,000 a month.
Pablo Pardo (Washington) | Ken Fisher is a curious multi-millionaire, who talks in plain language and loves the media. At 69, he is retired from the day-to-day management of his fund, Fisher Investments, which holds more than 100 billion dollars in management, and seems to be enjoying himself as a columnist in, among other media, the dailies Financial Times and USA Today and the weekly Forbes, where he sets out his ideas about markets in a plain language easily understood by everyone. And he does not hesitate to runs against the current when, for example, he says “I am not a fan of philanthropy”, although, it also has to be pointed out that he has donated millions to protect woods in the US, especially the redwoods, a species of sequoia which reach more than 100m high and are one of the largest trees in the world.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | A week ago, I pointed out as a hypothesis that “as it seems unlikely, as unassuming, another failure to form a government, new possibilities for pacts are opened that months ago were impossible because of the stubbornness of their leaders. In early 2020 these impossible pacts may be inevitable.” I made a mistake in judgement. No need to wait until 2020, new possibilities for pacts have appeared. The scenario before the next legislature in Spain is much more flexible than the previous one.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | Spanish politicians have been unable to interpret last April´s elections and, having dissolved parliament, have summoned Spaniards to vote again on 10 November. In principle it seems that the new parliament will look much like the old one, but the latest polls detect some changes among the voters.