26 May, 2014 @ 11:05
1 min read

PP and PSOE dominate European elections but anti-austerity parties on the up

BN CY spvote G  e

RULING centre-right Partido Popular has defeated the main Socialist opposition PSOE in a tense European Parliament election night.

The two-party dominance continued as predicted – with PP taking 16 seats and the PSOE taking 14 according to near complete results – but both parties lost ground to insurgent parties.

The PP and PSOE have dominated Spanish politics since the end of Francisco Franco’s rule in the 1970s, but their dominance has been affected by discontent over austerity measures.

Both fell far below their totals in the previous European elections in 2009, when together they won 47 seats.

Their combined share of the vote fell from about 80% then to just 49% on Sunday.

Eight smaller parties shared the remaining 24 seats, a larger total than pre-election opinion polls had predicted.

Spain has not joined the anti-EU feeling of many European countries, but voters did give strong support to anti-austerity leftist parties separatists in Cataluyna in favour of a referendum in November.

The biggest surprise of the election night was the strong performance from Podemos – the ‘We Can’ party – a product of Spain’s internet-driven ‘indignant’ movement against economic inequality and government austerity.

The ‘indignant’ movement – born with the establishment of a protest camp at Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol square in 2011 – inspired a similar global ‘Occupy’ movement.

The PP and PSOE dominance benefitted from a low voter turnout – of 45.7%. Although contrary to pre-election opinion polls, turnout was up from 2009, when it was just 44.9%.

Imogen Calderwood

DO YOU HAVE NEWS FOR US at Spain’s most popular English newspaper - the Olive Press? Contact us now via email: newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call 951 273 575. To contact the newsdesk out of regular office hours please call +34 665 798 618.

2 Comments

  1. “Los Indignados” That’s the ticket, they make the two see-saw parties look ineffectual and redundant. They show the “austerity” mantra for the lie that it is. Spanish politics have been so bent for so long, that ordinary people have lost faith in the democratic process and ceased to vote. The process isn’t completely broke but it’s certainly in poor shape, needing an injection of youth and genuine socialist sentiment.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

dry  e
Previous Story

Worst drought in 150 years hits Spain

Village jew killer e
Next Story

‘Kill Jews’ village to change 500-year-old name

Latest from Lead

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press

Watch: Flooding begins across Malaga as red-level rain storms and hail batter the Costa del Sol

SEND YOUR FLOOD VIDEOS TO: tips@theolivepress.es FLOODING has already begun

Cars are tied to lampposts and wrapped in tape ahead of feared DANA floods in Spain’s Malaga

LOCALS in southern Spain appear to have taken new measures