News, September 2011

General Election, November 2011

President Zapatero has called a general election for 20th November, bringing forward the date from the 'latest' mid-March '12. Over the coming 2 months we will attempt to bring you cover and comment on the process. The current favourite to win is the opposition Partido Popular, despite it's leader, Mariano Rajoy having lost the last two campaigns and still not having made clear what his main policies will be.

On 12th August Rubalcaba claimed this will be the first election campaign without fear of ETA strikes. Indeed over the past decades it has been a necessary concern that the Basque terror organisation could affect a campaign and when in the 2004 election campaign Madrid was hit by a series of bombs, it was immediately believed to have been the work of ETA, before the hand of Al Quaeda was revealed. It is now over 2 years since the last ETA killing, of two policemen in Palma Nova, Mallorca.

The €uro/ financial crisis is the most significant element in the election so far, although it is still unclear exactly how the opposition (and likely winner) is to face it. With 40% of young people unemployed, the demands of the 'indignants' (cf. separate article) continue to be largely unheard. The government is reintroducing a wealth tax suspended in 2008, but now only on fortunes over €700,000.