Fraga: a unique figure during an extraordinary time
This conservative politician, who was a minister under Franco and a major presence during Spain’s democracy, may not have been to everyone’s liking but his passing marks the end of an era.
• SPAIN ON THE ROCKS? A political and economic analysis for 2012 • IBERIANS OF THE YEAR: The most influential people and groups of 2011 •
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A short honeymoon for Spain’s Rajoy
The new prime minister has justified his announced austerity package by citing the previous government’s overspending. But with Spain still at the heart of the eurozone debt crisis and more cuts to come, he needs to share his plans with the electorate.
Spain’s Socialists don’t know where to turn
A disastrous 2011 has left the Socialist Party divided and defeated. A party convention is looming, but it’s unlikely to resolve some major problems.
Iberians of the Year 2011: Spain’s Indignados
The Spanish ‘revolution’ of 2011 may have fizzled out, but the legacy of the protests in Spain is still being felt in movements such as Occupy Wall Street. If anyone deserves to be named Iberians of the Year 2011 for their impact and influence, it is Spain’s indignados.
Morocco sets path for reform but questions of impact linger
Morocco’s monarchy spent the better part of 2011 touting new political reforms. Now, following the first national elections under a new constitution, the country’s leadership is faced with the challenge of finding a stable way forward and the means to pay for its new spending plans.
Spain wrestles with Franco’s resting place
A group of experts has recommended that Franco be exhumed and El Valle de los Caídos, the notorious monument to him, be transformed into a place of reconciliation. It’s extremely unlikely to happen, but one day Spain must resolve the conundrum presented by this sinister reminder of Francoism and the Civil War.
Spain turns right, but where’s the far right?
On November 20, 1975, Spain’s fascist dictator General Francisco Franco was pronounced dead. On that same day 36 years later, Spaniards went to the polls for a general election in which, unlike elsewhere in Europe, the far right was almost nowhere to be seen. But that doesn’t mean the country’s right-wing ghosts have been laid to rest entirely.
Who will be in charge for Rajoy’s great Spanish clean-up?
The prime minister-elect’s priorities are clear: restoring confidence in the Spanish economy and cutting the jobless line. But how he plans to go about these tasks remains a mystery, and it’s quite possible that the EU’s decision-makers will end up playing a major role.
Right sweeps to power in Spain, but don’t expect “miracles”
A landslide election victory has given the centre-right Popular Party a blank cheque to tackle the economic crisis, but voters expecting immediate results will be sorely disappointed.
Spain’s election will complete country’s swing to the right
The general election campaign has been deeply uninspiring, but the result of the November 20 vote will seal the dramatic transformation of Spain’s political map. Anything less than a parliamentary majority will be a failure for conservative Mariano Rajoy.
