Spain POLITICS
Figure 13. Distribution of Seats in the Congress of Deputies
Following Selected Elections
Unavailable
Felipe González Márquez, prime minister, 1982-
Courtesy National Tourist Office of Spain
Unavailable
The Benedictine Monastery of Montserrat, located to the
northwest of Barcelona, is a bastion of Catalan culture.
Courtesy James Scofield
Courtesy James Scofield
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia
Courtesy National Tourist Office of Spain
The politicians who had played key roles in Spain's
transition to democracy found that consolidating and
administering this democracy was more difficult and less
exhilarating than bringing it into being. Suarez, who had
been
pivotal in the reform process, found his leadership
undermined by
internal factionalism within his party coalition, the
Union of
the Democratic Center (Union de Centro Democratico--UCD),
as well
as by his ineffectiveness in dealing with the country's
growing
economic difficulties and regional tensions.
The Socialists had not been part of the government
during the
transition process, although they participated through
pacts and
agreements, and thus they did not share responsibility for
the
inevitable mistakes made in the early period. When they
came to
power in 1982, however, they too were faced with the
age-old
problem of center-periphery tension
(see
fig. 13;
table 2,
Appendix). In dealing with the regional issue as well as
with the
economic crisis, the Socialists found it necessary to
moderate
their ideological principles. Although compromise was
essential,
it resulted in the contradiction of earlier pronouncements
and in
the alienation of some elements of the political elites.
Nevertheless, such pragmatism and moderation remained
crucial to
consolidating the rule of democracy in Spain.
Data as of December 1988
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