News, July 2008

Elections 2008 - again hit by terrorism

After an intense campaign, affected at the last moment by a terrorist killing the Socialist party (PSOE) has won the general election. The opposition Partido Popular also gains seats (and votes). The minority parties failed miserably as a 2 party system is consolidated. However, neither the Congress nor the Senate see an overall majority. In the regional election in Andalusia there was an overall majority for the PSOE.

At the end of the Franco dictatorship there were hundreds of little parties, which have gradually disappeared or merged into major coalitions, which in time became parties. Since the socialists have no overall majority, they will still need support of moderate Catalan Nationalist party CiU, or a combination of other tiny parties, to rule in both houses. This means they may not be able to push through so much -or so quickly- 'progressive' legislation as they otherwise might have liked.

In the Senate, the Partido Popular will be the majority party, with 101 seats, although adding the Catalan left wing coalition to PSOE brings it up to the same number of seats, so CiU again hold the key to stability, along with Basque PNV; in Andalusia, PSOE retain absolute majority, despite rise of PP.

Press results comment: BBC:

Mark Mardell's Blog
Main report

The Economist report

NY Times report

Campaign reports

Please check these out on the full archived article.

Press coverage:

The BBC:
the killing
Campaign start report.
ETA call for boycott.
blog on a ghost town, one where developers have been knocked for six by the credit squeeze.

The Economist on
the influence of Immigration.
on the importance of the regions, Basque Country and Catalonia.
the silly promises.
'The coming pain in Spain', concluding: 'In some ways, this may turn out to be an election that it is better to lose than to win.'

Information and graphics related to earlier elections are on our elections comment page.