2015-05-25

Spain Turns Right

Although Spain's left-wing parties advanced in the election this weekend, Podemos gained with a nationalist platform that puts leaving the euro on the table. Both it and the upstart right-wing party picked up seats at the expense of the two main right- and left-wing parties.

BBC: Spanish elections: Podemos and Ciudadanos make gains
With the count almost completed, the governing People's Party (PP) has won the most votes with 27%.

But it may have lost the Madrid city council for the first time in 20 years.
The Spanish economy has been a key concern for voters, and many are enraged over public spending cuts and reports of political corruption.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's administration and the previous Socialist (PSOE) government are both seen as being to blame.

...the two traditional parties fell short of overall majorities in most areas. They both lost a significant number of votes to emerging groups Ciudadanos and Podemos.

In the capital Madrid, the PP won the municipal election but could still lose control of the city council. The ruling party took 21 seats but Ahora Madrid, backed by the leftist anti-corruption party Podemos, took 20. Ahora Madrid could now form a coalition with the Socialists who came third. Analysts say that similar deals could take place in a number of councils such as Valencia, further eroding the local power of the PP.

The ruling party may also need to make pacts of its own with the pro-business Cuidadanos party in places such as Murcia and La Rioja. Spain is unfamiliar with governing coalitions as the PP and the Socialists have dominated for decades.

Reuters: Spain's ruling PP gets worst local election result in 20 years

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