Power Division in Spain

Power Division in Spain

By: Erreh Svaia

“In Spain, the dead are more alive than the dead of any other country in the world.”

Federico Garcia Lorca

While in America we seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, in Europe, evolution is taking place at a really fast pace, we have witnessed the recent transformation of the political system in Spain, changing its base from two main political parties, the right wing Popular Party and the PSOE on the left, to include two more political institutions, Podemos, a far left wing party and Ciudadanos, a right-centered political party; What is happening in Spain might be the biggest democratic change the country has experienced in almost four decades; It is an obvious democratic triumph without a doubt, one that shows why Spain has been able to solve in good terms the crisis that troubled the country a couple of years ago, rather than making dangerous radical turns in what could be the road to recovery, Spain is mending it's democratic system, as well as starting to create a new multi polar system that might be exemplary for the Europe Union, as Mariano Rajoy's project is not being completely cast off, but rather underpinned by other representative political actors.

The triumph of new political actors like Podemos and Ciudadanos is a sign of the Spanish young voters turning their heads against the traditional political parties that doesn't seem to give them enough representation, as a matter of fact, Podemos could be the best representation of how social movements like Occupy, Yosoy132, or Indignados could turn into something else, transcend into a political power really coming from the people and have the chance to really challenge the establishment in better ways that violent protests, but that's not to say that Podemos is the exact solution to Spain troubles, it's a democratic counterweight, and one that should be polishing their political proposal for the future, as the radical left wing, as happened in Greece was not exactly what was expected, nor it had the impact on economic and social conditions in the Helenic country, on the contrary the radical politics of Podemos could be an stagnation factor that could trouble some of the new initiatives to come, as the power gets divided between the four forces, the negotiations would become more difficult, and if a correct process doesn’t take place, democracy could become a headache and the dynamics of the decisions, in a complex scenario like today´s could rest competitively and adaptability to the country.  

Spain seems to be taking the lead in the European Union when it comes to democratic representation, as the abolished two party system demonstrates, it confirms that although democracy has its flaws, it could be the best way to keep evolving the country's route towards total recovery, it's interesting to see the coming of two new participants in the democratic process, but at the same time is a sign of more things to come, the fragmentation of the voters, pulverized majorities, and perhaps an uncomfortable process of negotiations between political forces, either Podemos and Ciudadanos have a lot to prove, Ciudadanos is still developing their political proposal, while Podemos has to sever once and for all their ties to decadent "Chavismo" and Socialismo del Siglo 21, as both elements have turned into real nightmares in America and that have an strange route in Spain as a possible new bed for radical ideas exported to Latin America, and another sign of the political landscape in Europe that seems to be obscured by the clouds off a radical highly ideology and populist left, and an ultra-conservative, nationalist right, not exactly the best news for the political changes happening in the world and very bad news for a European Union in the middle of its hardest test yet.