This demographic shift happened to coincide with one of the most damaging economic crises in Spanish history, which saw unemployment reach 27 percent at its peak in 2013 for the general population ( and 55 percent for youth). Between 19, the foreign-born population of Spain increased more than ninefold, from just 750,000, or 1.5 percent of the total, to about 6.5 million, or 14 percent. Spaniards’ apparent lack of interest in far-right platforms is all the more remarkable given the country’s recent history: Over the past two decades, Spain has experienced both mass migration and a major economic crisis. Now, headlines suggest that Spain may soon be following in the footsteps of countries such as Italy, Germany, and Austria, where the popularity of far-right, anti-immigrant parties have been growing by leaps and bounds.īut does Vox’s recent win signal the end to Spanish exceptionalism? Answering these questions requires a more nuanced and in-depth understanding of the real reasons why Spain has thus far proven so resistant to the pull of the far-right. Ironically, Vox’s success came just days before the 40th anniversary of the ratification of the country’s constitution, a date that has come to symbolize the end of fascist rule and the transition from dictatorship to democracy. That is, until last month, when the far-right political party Vox won 12 seats in regional elections in Andalusia-Spain’s most populous province and a long-term stronghold for the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party for the past 36 years. The counting showed a return to a two-party system dominated by the PSOE and PP after a decade of greater involvement by smaller parties such as the left-wing Podemos and centrist Ciudadanos, which appeared largely to have lost its seats to the PP.Most analysts have long considered Spain immune to the allures of far-right populism that are sweeping across the rest of Europe, thanks in part to the long shadow cast by 40 years under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. In big cities such as Valencia and Seville, where mayors were also elected, the count turned in favour of the PP, which also won an absolute majority in the city of Madrid.īarcelona was an outlier among big cities, with a pro-independence party winning the most votes by such a narrow margin that it will need an agreement with the Socialists to unseat the current mayor, far-left Ada Colau.Ĭampaigning had been marked by several controversies, from allegations of voter fraud in small towns to an unprecedented case of kidnapping. PSOE spokesperson Pilar Alegria told a press conference that the results were not "what we hoped for." Leadership in the Canary Islands will be decided by pacts but PSOE have few chances of retaining power. "The tsunami that has swept through all the Spanish regions today has also swept through us," Javier Lamban, the outgoing Socialist president of Aragon, told a press conference where he admitted defeat. The main setbacks for the Socialists came from losses in the Valencia, Aragon and Balearic Island regions, as well as in one of the most important Socialist fiefdoms, the southwestern Spanish region of Extremadura. But that swing is enough to shift the centre of gravity from the left to the right," Jurado said. "In votes the right-wing bloc expands but not dramatically. The numbers showed few clear majorities, except in the Madrid region where regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso of the PP looked set to win re-election with an absolute majority. The gains for the People's Party (PP) indicate the conservatives could unseat the current left-wing coalition led by the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) if they replicate the performance in national elections by December. "The map changes completely and is a boost for Alberto Nuñez Feijoo - the new leader of the PP - ahead of the elections at the end of the year," said Ignacio Jurado, professor of political science at the Carlos III University. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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