While the final election count in Spain has not been announced yet, the result is already known. The ruling conservative PP party has been given a bop on the nose.
At the same time, the opposition socialist PSOE has also failed to gain the number of votes to which it has been accustomed.
The upset has been attributed to the rising strength of alternative parties, particularly anti-austerity Podemos and centre-right Ciudadanos.
Corruption scandals swirling around the governing party played a part in voter dissatisfaction. While the economy is improving at last, the gains are not being felt by voters who are exhausted by austerity. No dent has been made in the country’s staggering 24% unemployment.
The PP of prime minister Rajoy took the largest share of the vote in the 8,000 local council and in nine out of the 13 regional parliaments on the slate, but that share was 27%, down from 37% in 2011.
The party failed to attract absolute majorities in any region.
The socialists garnered 25% nationwide. The combined total of 52% was significantly lower than in elections four years ago.
The national newcomers came in third or fourth place across most regions, suggesting they will hold the balance of power in many regional governments. “We would have liked the decline of the old parties to have been quicker,” said Podemos’ Pablo Iglesias. “But circumstances compel us to keep working on it.”
Observers hold that the two-party dominance which has been part of Spanish politics since the death of Franco has ended. The future appears to belong to a new era of coalition and compromise, at least at the local level.
The national election is due in six months. Ahead of it is a highly fragmented political scene which could take months to negotiate.
The difficulties in creating a coalition are illustrated by Andalucia, where elections were in March. The majority socialist party has not yet been able to reach a ruling agreement. As in most regions, Andalusian statutes state that a new election must be called if no government can be formed two months after the first investiture debate.