Posted on 05/20/2011 8:05:25 AM PDT by Ebenezer
(English-language translation)
Spanish government President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's [Spanish Workers] Socialist Party [PSOE] may fall in Sunday's regional elections according to polls since the [economic] crisis began, while thousands have taken to the streets for days demanding "real democracy".
The closing of the campaign may be marred by the removal by police of those gathered in centric Puerta del Sol [in Madrid] since early this week, following the election authorities' decision on Thursday that no demonstrations will be allowed on Saturday, being the eve of the elections, and Sunday itself.
The protests forced the governing party to change the location of Zapatero's Friday rally away from Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
Several cities have embraced demonstrations from this movement, which calls for more just reforms at a time when the Spanish economy tries to get out of a recession in which unemployment skyrocketed from 8% to 21% (44% for those younger than 25 years of age), both being records for the European Union.
"We have to listen" to the young people camped out at Sol "because there are reasons for their expressing such discontent," Zapatero acknowledged on Thursday.
Despite that the President announced in April that he will not be a candidate for a third term in the 2012 elections so that May 22 will not be a plebiscite against him, a strong defeat of the PSOE, which has been plagued by the crisis for 2 years, in favor of the conservative PP [Popular Party] is foreseen.
According to the latest polls, the PSOE may lose at least two regional governments, Castille-La Mancha (center) and Estremadura (southwest), and the cities of Barcelona and Seville during these elections in which all the municipal governments and the parliaments of 13 of the 17 regions will be elected.
"The effect of Zapatero's announcement will be very limited", "his losing touch is very important", for which the Socialists "will not be spared this punishment vote," political analyst Josep Ramoneda explains to AFP.
Following Zapatero's victory against the PP in the 2004 and 2008 general elections, the right wins against the PSOE in polls expressing voter intentions since mid 2009 due to the recession, which [Spain] is now getting out of with difficulty, and the deep cuts the executive enacted to face it.
And "after [May] 22, the PSOE will enter into a very deep crisis; it will be difficult for Zapatero to complete his term, and an absurd battle over succession will ensue" within the Socialist Party, [Ramoneda] predicts.
Some 34.6 million people are eligible to vote on Sunday to elect 8,116 mayors, over 68,400 municipal councilors, and 824 deputies to the parliaments of 13 of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities (there is no voting for the regional governments of the Basque Country, Catalonia, Andalusia, and Galicia, elections in which are held on other dates).
According to the latest polls published in the Sunday dailies, the PP will snatch from the PSOE at least two traditional strongholds, the region of Castille-La Mancha with over 47% of the votes, as well as Estremadura.
The Socialists will also lose two historical city halls, those of Seville and Barcelona, which will be taken over by the conservative nationalists of [Convergence and Union].
This will lead to the PSOE not governing any of Spain's four largest cities, since it is expected that the PP will carry Madrid and Valencia.
According to Ramoneda, "the PSOE's condition at this time is reflected in the main battle being for Castille-La Mancha and not for Madrid and Valencia", the first- and third-largest Spanish cities [respectively] where "there isn't even a battle".
Looking forward to the 2012 contest, it remains to be seen if a possible candidacy from current number-two man in the government Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who is well-regarded in polls, may either prevail over PP leader Mariano Rajoy, who is accused of lacking charisma, or limit the Socialist rout, as some observers point out.
I hope we can be rid of the Socialists Vermin in 2012.
Weren’t these folks helped into office with exploding trains?
Yup, that’s them. They pulled out of Irag just in time for elections.
The U.S. is the only country on earth presently trying to replace itself with a Socialist nation.
No thanks.
Right. At the time, the governing Popular Party initially blamed the Basque terrorist group ETA for the blasts, but later it was discovered that Al Qaida was behind them.
Yep, everyone else is getting wiser, and while we go insane.
They’ve learned a few things from their mistakes, and we just can’t wait to try the same crap.
As Margaret Thatcher said "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money". This is the case in Spain. The private sector is not healthy enough to hire. There's no money for the government to hire more bureaucrats. So the recent graduates sit around in their parents houses unemployed, and the students see what's waiting for them when they graduate.
Spain also has about a million Muslim immigrants, mostly from Morocco, who are not assimilating well.
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