Fernando González Urbaneja | All the polls (except those of the CIS) improve the voting expectations of the PP with Feijóo at the helm and worsen those of Sánchez’s socialism. In fact, they sketch out a tie at around 30% of the vote for each. And all the polls show that the Prime Minister’s rating is below that of the party and some of his ministers. These ratings seem to…
The Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) has asked Spaniards about “tension”. A large majority believe that, at “these times”, there is “a lot or quite a lot” and the main culprits are PSOE and Vox. The barometer directed by José Félix Tezanos says that political tension worries 79% of Spaniards and that almost 90% of citizens are calling for an end to it. According to 44.6% of those surveyed, there…
On 1 October 2016, the day the PSOE executive kicked Pedro Sánchez out of the party’s general secretariat (his subsequent revenge would be merciless) El País defined Sánchez’s profile in its editorial “Saving the PSOE”: “The inevitable and legitimate dismissal of Pedro Sánchez is the only way out for the party”. “The departure of the PSOE’s secretary general, Pedro Sánchez, is essential…. Sánchez has not turned out to be a…
T.C. | Why has Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE been swept aside in the Madrid elections on May 4th? Because, very much in his usual style, he waited until the 5th to announce to all Spaniards the content of the Recovery Plan sent to Brussels the previous week, with tax hikes on all fronts. So Spain has a government in which everything is about electoral calculation, deceit and contradiction. Something that, at…
Joan Tapia (Barcelona) | The PSOE-Podemos Coalition Government has not failed to confront its two main challenges: economic policy and Catalonia. However, now comes the most important issue: to approve the national budget for 2020 for which it needs a vote in favour of ERC. This time the abstention of ERC is not enough, as in the case of the investiture, which was achieved in exchange for the establishment of a dialogue between the governments of Madrid and Barcelona.
J.P. Marín Arrese | This motto struck by Bertrand Russell galvanised those opposed to the nuclear weapons race. In his view, surrendering to communism stood as a less harmful choice than the dire prospect of massive immolation in a new world war. Fortunately, we skipped confronting the bad and worst alternatives Mr Russell thought would inevitably emerge.
Ana Fuentes | Spanish politics has settled on a disturbing calendar. This week the government of the social democrat Pedro Sánchez must clarify whether he will reach an agreement with Unidas Podemos or if he will call elections on November 10. It would be the fourth general election in five years. Time plays against and the feeling of uncertainty weighs more and more each day.
Shaun Riordan | Unless the polls are dramatically wrong, Pedro Sanchez´ socialist party (PSOE) will be by far the largest party after the Spanish general election on 28 April. Given that, there are three key questions for foreign observers: will the right wing bloc of the Partido Popular (PP), Ciudadanos and Vox secure an absolute majority of seats in the parliament? Will the combined vote of PSOE, the left wing Podemos and the Basque nationalists be sufficient to form a government without the support, active or passive, of the Catalan nationalists? How well will the far-right Vox do?
Joan Tapia (Barcelona) | As I write this article, three polls have been published – in three Spanish newspapers ABC, El Periodico de Catalunya and Confidencial – which practically agree. If there are no changes in the twenty days that remain before the elections, PSOE will be the largest party with more than 130 seats, far distant from the PP which will remain on 80-90 seats.
Fernando G. Urbaneja | An unprecedented tornado of elections has fallen on Spain in 2019. In the short space of four weeks Spaniards can place their papers with their electoral preferences in at least 5 urns, to elect the Congress, Senate, European Parliament, Townhalls and a good part of the regional parliaments. Spring superelections which will overturn a good part of the structure of the state.