https://socialistaction.org/2016/11/19/spain-socialist-party-in-crisis-as-right-wing-government-is-formed/
Spain: Socialist Party in crisis as right-wing government is formed
/ 3 days ago
nov-2016-iglesiasBy LAZARO MONTEVERDE
After over 315 days of political stalemate, the right-wing Partido
Popular [PP] has regained control in Spain with the tacit support of the
Spanish Socialist Workers Party [PSOE]. The vote to form the new
government took place in two stages, the first on Oct. 27 and the second
on Oct. 29, just days before the Oct. 31 deadline that would have
resulted in a mandatory and unprecedented third national election in one
year.
In the first vote, the PP needed an absolute majority, which it and its
coalition partners did not have. In the second vote, they needed a
majority of those voting. After an internal crisis and the ouster of
their leader, the socialists voted to abstain in the second vote, thus
allowing the Partido Popular to form the government.
The second vote was 170 in favor, including 137 votes from the PP, 32
votes from its coalition partner Ciudadanos, and one vote from the
regional Canarias party. As planned, 68 Socialists abstained while 111
voted against, including all representatives from Podemos and all the
representatives from the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), which is
affiliated with the PSOE. Shortly before the vote, the former General
Secretary of the PSOE, Pedro Sanchez, resigned his seat in the Cortes
rather than support the PP.
The PP is now free to push through the austerity plan demanded by the
European Union [EU], which states that Spain must cut its budget deficit
to meet EU targets. To do so will require more cuts to social services
and education.
The EU is also demanding further consolidation of the Spanish banking
system and the elimination of certain labor laws that protect Spanish
workers. These will not be easy goals to accomplish, given the broken
two-plus party system in Spain.
Mariano Rajoy, the leader of the PP and the person who was acting
president during the last 10 months, has promised to compromise and
negotiate with the other parties in the Cortes. In the past, he has
shown little interest in compromise and he has pushed through austerity
measures demanded by the EU with an iron resolve. The PP also plans on
“revising” the pension system, but has presented no detailed plans on
how it intends to do so.
The new government faces a resurgent Catalan independence movement. The
Catalan government plans to hold a referendum on independence in 2017.
The left-populist party Podemos backs the referendum, as does a broad
spectrum of the Catalan parties, from left to right. In September, over
800,000 Catalans marched in favor of independence.
An internal crisis within the PSOE, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party,
provided the PP with the opportunity it needed. On Oct. 1 the general
secretary of the PSOE, Pedro Sanchez, was forced to resign by the
party’s federal (national) committee. Sanchez had refused to abstain on
any votes to install a PP government. While the majority of the federal
committee and the national leadership of the PSOE wanted to compromise
(read: capitulate) with the PP, Sanchez still retained significant
support. In all, 133 members of the Federal Committee voted against his
proposal to hold internal party elections for the post of general
secretary while 109 members voted in favor of his proposal. The majority
feared that a new election would result in continued losses for the PSOE.
After resigning his seat in congress on the eve of the investiture vote,
Sanchez said he would get in his car and travel the country talking with
party activists. It is clear to all observers in Spain that the PSOE is
now in crisis and is split at least three ways. First, the Catalan
Socialist Party has broken from the PSOE over its support for the PP and
the issue of Catalan independence. Second, there is a split within the
Federal Committee. Third, there is a clear split between the party
activists, most of whom oppose any kind of support for the PP, and the
party leadership.
The PSOE has little internal party democracy and has not had party
primaries to select candidates and leaders. A person becomes a candidate
or part of the leadership by being recruited by the existing leaders, as
in a corporate board of directors. The Spanish refer to the leadership
as the “nomenclatura,” a word that was once popular in the Soviet Union
to denote the ruling bureaucratic layer. The nomenclatura has acted as a
kind of top-down management of the Socialist Party and forms its most
conservative and authoritarian segment. In light of the abstentions, the
PSOE has lost considerable standing as an opposition party to the PP.
The big winner is perhaps the left-populist party Podemos. Podemos
refused to negotiate with the PP. It proposed an electoral coalition in
opposition to austerity with the PSOE and Ciudadanos, an anti-corruption
capitalist party. But both parties rejected the proposal, and Ciudadanos
formed a coalition with the PP.
Podemos has been clear on its support of regional autonomy and the right
to independence for the Basque Country and the Catalan region. Podemos
is now only a few percentage points behind the PSOE in polls, and has
positioned itself as the only significant political force opposed to
austerity and the attacks on workers rights.
But Podemos may not be able to take advantage of the crisis within the
PSOE, as it faces its own internal crisis. Currently, there is a power
struggle between Pablo Iglesias, the general secretary of Podemos, and
the number-two leader of the party. In addition, a significant dissident
current has emerged from within Podemos that is demanding greater
internal party democracy and inclusiveness.
The situation remains fluid, and only time and the Spanish people will
determine the outcome of the current political crisis. While the right
has regained control, their power has never been more fragile since the
end of the Franco dictatorship 40 years ago.
Photo: Pablo Iglesias, general secretary of Podemos.
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November 19, 2016 in Europe. Tags: Podemos, Spain
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