In the present 350 member parliament, the governing PSOE has 169 seats, PP 153, CiU (moderate Catalan nationalists) 10, IU (leftist federation) 6 and the remaining seats are distributed between a number of mostly regionalist parties. This means that Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero has led a minority government, depending on the regionalists, mostly the moderate Catalans of CiU.
The poll indicates that PP will win over 46% of the votes on the 20-N, capturing an absolute majority of between 190 and 195 deputies, while PSOE will be reduced to 30%, with 116 to 121 deputies elected. CiU will capture 3.31%, with 13 deputies, IU will have 8 seats, with 6% of the votes. The small national party UPyD, mainly based in Madrid, will have 3 seats (today it has just 1). The moderate nationalist party PNV in the Basque region will loose 3 of its 6 seats, which will be picked up by the new party Amaiur, closely connected with the terrorist organisation ETA.
Present Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero of PSOE is not a candidate in the forthcoming elections. He and his party realised he would repulse voters rather than attract them. Instead the party chose Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, for many years an efficient Minister of the Interior, as their candidate for prime minister. The manoeuvre has not helped them much.
What are the differences?
The differences in the programs and policy between the two dominant parties are small. The socialists in PSOE permitted and encouraged the actions which lead to the property bubble, which, combined with the international financial crisis, has placed the country in shambles and lead to the social cuts demanded by the EU, the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other supranational bodies.
PP never protested against the mass construction of dwellings in the cities and the islands and along the coasts. How could they, they were the party of the promoters and builders, led the governments in the regions with the greatest excesses, allied with the bankers financing the catastrophe! They differed only in details from the Zapatero Government when it came to the social cuts.
Neither is there much difference when it comes to corruption. Our readers will know from our reports on political corruption in Spain that the two major parties are equally involved, including up to cabinet level with PSOE (‘Sales’ Minister Pepe Blanco now under investigation of the high court) and to the central party office of PP (Treasurer Luis Barcena leaving office) not forgetting the ‘well dressed’ PP Valencia Regional President Camps, who also had to resign.
Most of the smaller parties are no cleaner. Only the leftist IU and the young party UPyD, have a reasonable clean record.
The foreigners and the elections
Foreigners have no right of vote in Spanish national elections, even if they hold a residence permit, and thus we shall only be spectators on election day. However, we can be members of a political party and thus influence (if only to a very small degree) the politics of Spain.
The foreigners vote in local elections has not much improved their lot. Except for some very few town halls, the foreign vote at the ballot box, or their participation on candidate lists, the lack of unity and criteria among foreigners have made their participation a mere anecdote. Most of foreigners in Spain shrug their shoulders at Spanish politics and enjoy the sunshine.
The enthusiasm among the Spanish for politic and politicians is also very limited. In a poll taken by newspaper El Mundo, 72% of the readers admitted they were not that interested in the forthcoming elections.
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