Rose Lapp (Reporter)
ONLY 4% of the Spanish population trust their politicians, while 45% trust the police, and 39 % trust the justice system.
These statistics are unsurprising, given the recent publication of a number of studies showing that the level of corruption in Spanish politics is higher than ever.
One such study, published by the University of La Laguna on Tenerife, maps 676 cases of corruption geographically around Spain between 2000 and 2010. The research shows worrying results for Andalucía, which been singled out as the region with the highest number of corruption scandals over the last decade.
There is no official number of corruption cases since 2010, but the country has reportedly seen over 800 cases of corruption over the past thirteen years, though not every case has reached court.
Heightened national corruption is also a concern for Spanish residents, 93% of whom believe it to be a serious problem.
Although a number of corrupt politicians are caught and convicted, many end up with shortened prison sentences or reduced fines, leading the public to discover that government corruption may sit deeper than anyone had realised.
Spain’s two biggest political parties are heavily implicated, as 44% of municipalities struggling with corruption are governed by the PP, and 31.2% are governed by the PSOE.
How about a link to the study?
If ever there was a candidate for a technocrat government appointed by Brussels Spain must be it, not democratic I know but with the corruption most Spanish politicians don’t seem to believe in democracy.
What is democracy anyhow? You vote for people who, when in power, tell you what to do anyway in a dictator style manner and also change their policies at free will without asking you.