Spain Government and Politics
Political discussion
SPAIN'S TRANSFORMATION from a rigid, authoritarian,
highly
centralized regime into a pluralistic, liberal
parliamentary
democracy with considerable regional autonomy stands as
one of
the more remarkable political developments of the
twentieth
century. That this was accomplished without civil war or
revolutionary upheaval and in the midst of unfavorable
economic
circumstances is all the more extraordinary. Despite
decades of
living under a repressive dictatorship, most Spanish
citizens
adapted readily to the new democratic system, and they
turned out
in large numbers for referenda and elections.
The institutions established under the new democratic
regime
were based on the principles of modernization and
decentralization. The 1978 Constitution, which enjoyed
massive
popular support, established Spain as a democratic state
ruled by
law. Spain's form of government is that of a parliamentary
monarchy, with political power centered in the bicameral
Cortes
(Spanish Parliament).
One of the most striking features of Spain's new
governmental
system is the devolution of power and responsibility to
the
regions. Regional differences had been the source of longstanding tensions between the center and the periphery in
Spain.
The 1978 Constitution addresses these conflicts by
providing for
an unprecedented degree of regional autonomy, although not
all
Spaniards have been satisfied with the pace of the
devolution
process. At the same time, the relationships between the
more
powerful autonomous regions and the central government
remain
complicated by the deliberately ambiguous terms of the
Constitution.
The dismantling of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco
y
Bahamonde (dictator of Spain, 1939-75) and the
establishment of
democratic political institutions did not immediately
permeate
all levels of society. Reactionary elements within the
army
remained opposed to democracy, and rumors of coup plots
were a
persistent feature of the early years of democratic rule,
although they subsequently subsided as the government
stabilized.
The civil service also resisted transformation, remaining
almost
as inefficient and cumbersome as it was under Franco.
Although Spanish citizens had minimal experience with
political involvement prior to the advent of participatory
democracy, they took to it enthusiastically, and, after a
shaky
beginning, a viable party system developed. The stability
of this
party system was evidenced by the declining support for
extremist
parties and by the peaceful transfer of power from a
conservative
coalition to the Socialist Workers' Party in the 1982
elections.
In the late 1980s, the major challenge to the governing
Spanish
Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero
Espanol--
PSOE) came from within its own ranks, as labor leaders
complained
that Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez Marquez had forsaken
his
socialist roots in favor of market-oriented policies.
Spain continued to seek an independent role in the
international arena, while maintaining a European focus
through
membership in the European Community
(EC--see Glossary)
and,
through association, on its own terms, with the North
Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). Other major foreign policy
goals
continued to be the re-establishment of Spanish
sovereignty in
Gibraltar, the retention of the North African enclaves of
Ceuta
and Melilla, and an influential role for Spain in Latin
America.
In 1987 Spain expressed a latent anti-Americanism,
prevalent in
the country since the 1898 Spanish-American War, when the
government delayed renewal of the long-standing agreement
for
United States use of military bases in Spain in exchange
for
military and economic assistance.
One difficult problem facing the government in the
1980s was
the ongoing menace of Basque terrorism, as militant
separatists
continued to perpetrate assassinations and bombings in
spite of
vigorous antiterrorist measures. A more far-reaching
challenge
lay in the economic realm. Workers were becoming
increasingly
dissatisfied with their diminished earnings and with the
government's failure to deal with the unemployment
problem.
The political changes since 1975 have been dramatic and
profound. Spain has benefited from the shrewd leadership
of its
king and its prime ministers, who successfully presided
over the
transition to democracy and its consolidation.
Nevertheless,
Spanish leadership confronted the challenge of sustaining
social
stability in the face of economic and regional pressures.
Data as of December 1988
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