Jason MoorePalma26/04/2018 00:00
TW
0

Out with the old, in with the new. For decades Spain has been a two political party country: the centre-right Partido Popular and the Spanish Socialist Party. They have swapped power over the last two decades. But the Partido Popular, which has always won the regional elections in the Balearics but has sometimes fallen short of an overall majority, is in crisis. Newcomers Ciudadanos are threatening their hold on power in the same way as the far left-wing party, Podemos, hit the Spanish Socialist Party. Ciudadanos strict stance against the Catalonia independence movement, which has pushed the government into its worst political crisis in decades, has helped lift the relatively new party to head voting intention polls.

The Partido Popular government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy should be concerned especially as his party appears to go from one crisis to another. The problem with the Partido Popular is that its image has been tarnished by scores of alleged corruption scandals, and with Ciudadanos voters now have a choice. Rajoy has a minority government and relies on other smaller parties for pacts to get legislation through parliament. If the opinion polls are to be believed, Ciudadanos will take thousands of voters away from the Partido Popular at the next general elections in Spain. In fact, they could even form a government as long as they can pact with smaller parties. The winds of change are blowing through Spanish politics.