Viewpoint

Does anybody resign in Spain?  You would have thought that the leader of the Partido Popular in the Balearics, Jose Ramon Bauza, would have resigned at once after the crushing election defeat on Sunday. He announced on Tuesday that he would be going in the summer. Why has he decided to wait? Surely he should take responsibility for the meltdown in support for the Partido Popular and do the honourable thing. To a lesser extent the Socialist leader, Francina Amengol, should also be considering her position. Her party did have some notable victories in Calvia and Inca but their actual share of the vote fell at a time when the Partido Popular were in big trouble. You would have thought that key members of the Partido Popular in Madrid would also have resigned after the local election results. Spanish colleagues have pointed to the British system as the one to follow. Winner takes all and the losers then resign. But not in Spain. Local politics is in a mess after the election; there was no overall winner, the parties are split and we look set for a coalition government which will be hit by infighting because the parties involved can´t agree on anything.  Probably one of the most acceptable decisions would be a pact between the Socialists and the Partido Popular which would leave the other smaller parties out in the cold. But the chances of these two parties coming together are slim to say the least...but a day is a long time in politics.