SPAIN
ELECTS NEW GOVERNMENT
15 March 2004
Only
three days after the worst terrorist incident in Spanish
history, the nation held its parliamentary
elections. The Spanish electorate has chosen the
PSOE socialist party, which had governed throughout
the 1980s and the transition to democracy and into
the 1990s. The new Prime Minister, José Luis
Rodríguez Zapatero, has promised to form a
multipartisan commission to devise a unified anti-terror
policy, to maintain "permanent dialogue"
with the opposition and to govern with "sensitivity"
to regional concerns.
Prior
the bombings of 11 March, the Partido Popular, the
party of Prime Minister Aznar, had been thought to
have a good chance at reelection. There was, however,
growing discontent with the governing party, stemming
from last year's defiant support for the war in Iraq,
despite the overwhelming opposition
of more than 90% of Spain's population.
Turnout
is thought to be one of the major factors in the change
in government, with fully 77% of eligible voters taking
part in the election, an
increase of 8.46% over 2000 turnout. In Catalunya,
turnout was 12 points higher than four years ago.
The sharply increased turnout appears to indicate
two possibilities: Spaniards have chosen to express
support for their democratic system by turning out
to vote, or the public chose to punish the Partido
Popular for its position on the war issue... or both.
Recent
events may also have played a role in the change of
course. While it is not likely that Spain will reduce
its efforts to thwart terrorist organizations (Thursday's
massacre will likely lead to more intense counter-terrorism
efforts), it appears that the governing party's handling
of the crisis caused widespread anger and evoked the
mistrust that had developed around the war issue.
Starting
early on Thursday, in the immediate aftermath of the
bombings, the ruling party told the press that it
had evidence that pointed to ETA, the Basque separatist
group, as being responsible for the atrocities. So
firm was their conviction that major newspapers immediately
issued special editions blaming ETA for the worst
attack in its history. The claim was based on evidence
previously gathered in an investigation surrounding
a foiled bomb plot like the one that struck Madrid
on 11 March.
Evidence
gathered in the early hours after the explosions reportedly
included tapes with Arabic language and Koranic citations
on them, but the PP maintained that the plot had been
conceived and carried out by ETA. By Saturday evening,
thousands of Spanish citizens had taken to the streets
demanding the truth about the evidence be revealed
officially in advance of the elections, so the Spanish
people would have a right to decide their future with
all the facts in evidence.
The
PP leading candidate was quick to decry the demonstrations
as "illegal" acts of protest against the
governing party, but this resulted only in a backlash
of civic defiance, with people around the country
declaring that "the people's voice is not illegal".
The atmosphere was reportedly tense and intensifying,
when the national police demanded that the Interior
Ministry come clean and reveal the whole truth about
the information gathered about the nature and origin
of the attacks. Late last night, the Interior Minister
reportedly revealed that evidence pointed to an Al
Qaeda connection to the attacks.
While
international reports, based on PP statements to the
press, suggested that an explosives-laden van discovered
a month ago with the same explosives as used in these
bombs and containing evidence of a plot to target
trains, had been linked to ETA, investigators now
contend that that van also contained Arabic language
materials and Koranic verses. Anecdotal accounts from
Spain also suggest that conservative voters supportive
of the majority PP had decided not to vote for their
party, due to suspicions about misleading statements
and withholding of evidence.
The
debacle surrounding the official production or presentation
of evidence to the public also tapped into the concern
that the government's approach to combatting terrorism,
while sincere, may not have been the optimum solution
to the problem. Today, the Interior Minister also
admitted that 3
of the detainees have a history of violent criminal
activity inside Spain.
This
is the climate in which Spaniards went to the polls
today. Some observers fear that the change of government
indicates that terrorists influenced the election,
but the situation is complex, and the Spanish people
are proud and civically minded, and do not lightly
alter their vote or support the opposing side in any
election. The increased turnout should be seen as
evidence that the Spanish people have refused to be
swayed in any way by terror, and that their answer
to the attack is civic participation and a demand
for higher standards. [For more: ElPeriodico]
