The light at the end of the tunnel of the Spanish pandemic crisis and the struggle for survival of the left-wing government under Pedro Sánchez has clouded over in recent months. Little is left of the mood of economic optimism, the OECD has lowered its growth forecast for this year from 6.8 to 4.5 percent, and the EU funds, which are crucial for the revitalization of the economy and the government’s reform projects, are still a long way off. The unexpectedly smooth overcoming of the hurdles for the adoption of the new budget for the coming year gave the government some breathing space. Mainly for fear of the greater evil, the return of the right-wing party to the government, the government can again count on the votes of the Catalan and Basque independence parties, which are indispensable for a majority.
On the other hand, the alliance of the right-wing PP and fascists that launched a major attack on the left-wing government is involved in internal wars. After her triumphant election victory in May of that year in the autonomous region of Madrid, the “Shooting Star” Isabel Ayuso is always more brazen as a rival to the PP party chairman Pablo Casado. So far, he has been the undisputed leader of a future right-wing government. At the increasing number of anti-government demonstrations, Casado is called a “traitor” because of his reluctance to be too close to the fascists. And in Andalusia, where a PP government relies on an “external” alliance with the fascist Vox party, it has just prevented the adoption of a new budget and thus provoked early elections. It apparently hopes to outstrip the right-wing party in these. In Madrid, on the other hand, Ayuso’s alliance with the fascists is still working smoothly. A pact was reached between the two for the new budget that is currently being voted on: Both sides undertake to reject any proposal by the opposition on the budget without being seen.
But the landscape of the left-wing parties is also “troubled”: the internal consistency of the Unidas Podemos electoral alliance is crumbling. And regional electoral alliances with other left groups – for example in Andalusia – do not come about due to mutual distrust and election tactical calculations. Yolando Díaz, Vice President of the government and currently the only hope of the left, meanwhile has her own future plans for a left-wing project that is somewhat similar to Sarah Wagenknecht’s “Stand Up” project: a “transversal” and grassroots alliance beyond the classic party model – with a feminist core as the driving force.
Cascade of anti-government demonstrations planned
But there is also a development beyond the traditional “left-right” topology that is stirring up the political landscape. Many regions in Spain have long been depopulated. One of the most famous is the province of Teruel, which belongs to the autonomous region of Aragon. A movement called “Teruel existe” (Teruel exists) was founded here over 20 years ago. This persistently and well-organized future projects for this region. Its leader Tomás Guitarte has been sitting in the Spanish parliament since the last elections and has just won the title of “most active member of parliament”. Under the leadership of “Teruel existe”, a national political movement has emerged that aims to represent “España vacía”, the “emptied” Spain. This movement should have its say in future elections.
The question is how long the current government in Madrid will hold out and whether there will be early elections. One anti-government demonstration is currently replacing the other. More than 20,000 members of the Guardia Civil and the National Police, led by the union JUPOL, which is closely related to the fascist party Vox, have just demonstrated with Casado in Madrid against the government’s intention to defuse the “Ley Mordaza” law (Ayuso stayed away from this demonstration to avoid clashing with their rival Casado). This law had been whipped through parliament by the last right-wing government under Rajoy with its absolute majority and had severely restricted the possibilities of public protests through massive threats of punishment. A whole cascade of anti-government demonstrations is planned for December: prison staff, transportation, judicial officers, farmers and ranchers, etc. Will the left-wing government have the nerve to weather this storm and stay in control?
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