The red horde has won the elections in Galicia, where the good people had been governing for years.

The end is coming so quickly! God, save us!

As a matter of fact, PP won the elections, but as the combination of ultracomunists nationalists of BNG and social-nationalists of PSOE-PSG have one more vote in the Parlament thant PP, we have another extreme-leftist nationalist government in one spanish region.

So be it. A party with barely 20% of the votes will be governing Galicia.

Fernando

Hola Fernando,

Could you explain, how this is possible. Is it because the votes are divided among many parties, and 20% is the largest concentration of voters voting for one party?
Graciñas,
Carmen

Where is Fraga Y Iribarne (Spain's last surviving leader from the Franco dictatorship and Aznar's Political 'Godfather,' former President of the Xunta de Galizia) when we need him??

I guess maybe he passed away ... anyone??

Fraga is definitely still alive and active in politics--in fact he was the PP's candidate in last month's elections.

The results were something like PP 45% of the votes, PSOE 33% and BNG 18%. So, the PP did win the most number of votes, but the problem is that they didn't have enough votes to get an absolute majority--they're one representative short. So, when this happens (no one party gets absolute majority) Spanish electoral law allows parties to form a coalition to have a majority this way. The PP has 37 representatives and the combined total of the representatives from the PSOE and the BNG is 38 which is the number needed for absolute majority. This is how the PSOE and BNG will be able to govern in Galicia. Now, Rajoy (PP leader) wants to change the electoral law for future elections so that the party which has the most votes can govern even if they don't have absolute majority.

Personally I think it is strange that parties can form these coalitions and that even though one party got the most votes they can't govern; however I am glad that Fraga will no longer be the president of Galicia. I also think it's funny that now the PP is complaining about this because after the elections in the Pais Vasco there was a similar situation where the PNV had the most votes but didn't have absolute majority. So, the PP decided to support the PSOE candidate for "lehendakari" in a effort to get the PNV out of power. It's very ironic that when this electoral law that allows coalitions worked well for the PP they had no problems using it, but now that they're on the losing end of the stick they want to change the law.

Meg, political parties do always de same (using the law to govern)... But I really think that it would be better for Spain if minority parties (with less than a 5% of votes) were kicked out of the parlaments, and that the party with the most votes could govern.

As for Fraga it is true that he was a minister of the last years of Franco's dictatorship. But let us remember too that he placed Spain in the verge of being a touristy powership by opening the famous "Paradores", he also institutionalized the public health care system (Seguridad Social), issued laws to have press freedom, and lead a dictatorship to a democracy.

He also founded Alianza Popular, the first and main democratic liberal party in our democracy, and participated in the elaboration of our democratic constitution. He then left the leadership of PP (former AP) to Aznar and won 4 consecutive elections in Galicia, which has been transformed from a very rural underdeveloped region to a first-line region with highways, industries and a very good quality of life.

Frankly, if I were to criticize a leader of the past regime, I would criticize Santiago Carrillo, former leader of the Spanish Communist Party (PCE), follower of Stalin and the one in charge of an extermination camp in the Civil War in which 10,000 persons were executed.

Yes, it is the same Santiago Carrillo who was homaged by our Government, the socialist party and the communist party a couple of months ago.

All in all, I believe that Fraga's times had finished. He should have left the leadership of Galicia to a younger candidate.

Fernando