Spain: the choice to outbid

News Mondays - Diego Taboada

The political situation in Spain has been making headlines in recent weeks. The two latest events are closely linked: the trial of the leaders Catalan pro-independence parties who organized the October 2017 referendum and called early elections - the third in three years - with a budget granted by parliament. This is a major challenge for the parties, who will have to face two other electoral dates at the same time: the European and municipal elections.

President Sanchez had managed to rise to power after his motion of no confidence against the former government. The motion had been supported by the Catalan and Basque independence parties, as well as by the far-left Podemos party. But the Socialist president had to face the facts: without a budget, it is impossible to govern. Until then, he had been trying, as best he could, to win the support of the separatists in order to remain in power. The latest development: the appointment of a mediator between the Catalan regional government and the central government, modeled after arbitration between two distinct nation-states—a move whose symbolism provoked the anger of the opposition and leaders regional socialists.

The territorial crisis is currently playing out in the extraordinary trial of the organizers of this referendum on self-determination. The defendants are emphasizing political arguments in their defense—such as the freedom to vote or express one’s opinion—and see this highly publicized event as an opportunity to portray themselves as victims of a repressive system. But the judges have chosen to be very accommodating: for example, they are allowing the defendants to make their statements in Catalan. This is a welcome gesture to ease tensions and demonstrates a wisdom in their approach that political parties would do well to emulate.

On the contrary, the opposition from the People’s Party (conservative center-right) and Ciudadanos (centrist liberals) is taking the opposite approach: they are doing nothing to prevent the escalation, preferring instead to fuel the tension with attacks and scathing criticism. The Socialist government’s disastrous handling of the situation and the frustration felt by a certain segment of the Spanish population at seeing Spain’s unity undermined are prompting the opposition parties to exploit this underlying tension.

The new president of the People’s Party’s highly aggressive rhetoric, aimed at winning back voters lured away by VOX—a far-right party and the embodiment of neo-Francoism—is causing concern and normalizing rhetoric that has long been reviled in Spain. Ciudadanos’s position as a credible alternative is threatened by its ambiguous strategy toward the populist right. By seeking to position itself as the party that takes a firm stance against separatists through a hardening of its positions, the party runs the risk of alienating its progressive voter base.

At stake in this electoral marathon is much more than simply choosing the political forces that will shape the next four years. The political polarization that appears to be on the horizon would lead to a troubling situation—far removed from a firm yet constructive government of «constitutionalists» capable of addressing the challenge of separatism. Today, we are witnessing a political class mired in its own partisan interests, one that rejects conciliation and opts instead for escalation. Yet a stagnant society and an unstable political landscape leave the door wide open to numerous abuses. This situation does not bode well.

Write to the author: diego.taboada@leregardlibre.com