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Elections in Spain

Fendetestas

Scholar
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Feb 26, 2004
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Well, for those of you interested, at 12% of the votes counted, PSOE is winning. However, this is not significative yet. The PSOE (socialist party) was the ruling party for many years before the PP came to power. Most surveys give the victory also to PSOE, but this is normal because a lot of PP supporters hide their vote. We must be cautious, but what seems sure now is that PP won't have absolute majority again.
 
This is a surprize. Before the elections the polls showed the PP with 10% ahead of the Socialists.

12% Fendetestas is a good statistical sample to speculate about the results. I am hearing on ythe radio that it's 37% - 43 or 45 %.

So the Spaniards blame the terrorist attack on the war in Iraq.
 
Now we have 43.2% of the votes counted, and the PSOE keeps winning: 165 seats, PP: 135 (absolute majority is 175)
 
This is really surprising. I can't believe it myself,, but at 56% PP:146 PSOE:163 CiU:10 (catalonian nationalists) IU:5 (left wing party, coalitions, includes Spanish communist party), PNV:7 (basque nationalists) ERC:8 (catalonian party) BNG:2 (galician nationalists, left wing party) CC:6 (Canary Islands party) CHA:1
EA:1

Votes are being counted really fast.
 
What is the temptation Europeans face that tells them "of course appeasement is the best response"? Cowardice? Something else?
??? :(
 
And the funny thing is that Aznar by participating in the war wanted to increase the International Status of his country, not to mention that his government had to count some successes that they were significant in the every day life of the Spaniards.

Did those who opposed to the War needed a bomb to realize it?
 
72.15%:

PP 147
PSOE 164
IU 5
CIU 10
PNV 7
CC 4
BNG 2
ERC 8
EA 1
CHA 1
Na-Bai 1

Feel free to ask about the various parties.
 
For those of us unversed in Spanish politics, perhaps you can simplify it for us.
Is this a rejection of the current leadership, and how does it related to the tragedy in Madrid? There was significant opposition to the war in Iraq before this, but does this make it appear to be appeasement of the terrorists?
Our deepest sympathies to the Spanish people.
 
subgenius said:
For those of us unversed in Spanish politics, perhaps you can simplify it for us.
Is this a rejection of the current leadership, and how does it related to the tragedy in Madrid? There was significant opposition to the war in Iraq before this, but does this make it appear to be appeasement of the terrorists?
Our deepest sympathies to the Spanish people.
Click to expand...

I don't like the behaviour of the Spanish people, and I'm one of them, i voted blank, as I was going to do before the 11M. I think what has caused this, more than the fact that 200 people died, is the general feeling that the government withheld information.

I'm afraid this will make us look like a weak and immature country, just what we needed know. My personal opinion is that the war was wrong. However, if, IF, it had been the right thing to do, the fact that in response terrorists would kill innocent spaniards wouldn't be the reason to change our minds.

We have 83% of the votes counted, with practically the same numbers,
 
With 56 percent of the votes counted, the conservatives -- who had been projected to win comfortably before the bombings -- fell from 183 seats in the last 350-seat legislature to 146. The Socialists soared from 125 to 163.

Turnout was high at 76 percent. Voters expressed anger with the government, accusing it of provoking the Madrid attacks by supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which most Spaniards opposed.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/14/international1541EST0548.DTL

It would be quite unfortunate if the bombings alone affected the result this significantly. Quite unfortunate.
 
It wouldn't be just unfortunate it would be scary. It would mean that the terrorists dictated the results of the elections.

Today a Greek paper " Eleftherotypia" published an interview of a Muslim leader who lives in London (sic) Omar Bakri, whose dream is to see the flag of Islam in Number 10 of Downing Str. and he warns the Greeks that if they change their attitude towards the Arabs it will be their turn and they will be punished....

Unfortunately the interview is only in Greek.Here.
 
Fendetestas said:


I don't like the behaviour of the Spanish people, and I'm one of them, i voted blank, as I was going to do before the 11M. I think what has caused this, more than the fact that 200 people died, is the general feeling that the government withheld information.

I'm afraid this will make us look like a weak and immature country, just what we needed know. My personal opinion is that the war was wrong. However, if, IF, it had been the right thing to do, the fact that in response terrorists would kill innocent spaniards wouldn't be the reason to change our minds.
Click to expand...

Agreed. However people were going to vote before the bombing is how they should have voted.

There were allegations that the government tried to blame it on the Basques to avoid the backlash, and if they did that would be a valid consideration. Yet the election being so soon after such a national traumatic event was a cruel twist of fate.
 
Apart from the PSOE vs. PP issue and the unfortunate "bombings effect" one, it's interesting to say that all left wing parties (IU, BNG...) have lost seats, which may have been transferred to the PSOE in what it's called "useful vote", that is, concentrating all left wing voters on the one party with options.
 
Cleopatra said:
It wouldn't be just unfortunate it would be scary. It would mean that the terrorists dictated the results of the elections.
Click to expand...

You've got to remember that the turnout is a lot higher than predicted which is throwing out all the predictions.
 
Another thing, with 85.1% counted, basque nationalists would get just as much seats in Congress as they did in the 2000 election
 
Cleopatra said:
It wouldn't be just unfortunate it would be scary. It would mean that the terrorists dictated the results of the elections.

Today a Greek paper " Eleftherotypia" published an interview of a Muslim leader who lives in London (sic) Omar Bakri, whose dream is to see the flag of Islam in Number 10 of Downing Str. and he warns the Greeks that if they change their attitude towards the Arabs it will be their turn and they will be punished....

Unfortunately the interview is only in Greek.Here.
Click to expand...

Any change based on killing innocents, or the threat of it, is victory for the forces of evil.
I wish we would hear more condemnation, and action taken, by the Muslim world, against those who slaughter in their name. I think that is one of the only ways out of this nightmare.
 
geni said:


You've got to remember that the turnout is a lot higher than predicted which is throwing out all the predictions.
Click to expand...

That's important: traditionally those undecided tend to lean more towards PSOE, but the fact of why they voted remains.
 
Just proves what I have always thought. Spain has never gotten over the defeat of the Armada. :)
 
subgenius said:


I wish we would hear more condemnation, and action taken, by the Muslim world, against those who slaughter in their name. I think that is one of the only ways out of this nightmare.
Click to expand...

And I think, as the appeasers hold their breaths waiting for Muslims en-masse to denounce Islamofacism, governments who actually care about their citizenry will be joining the US, GB, etal in the War we are in.

Learn arabic & convert -- as a nation -- and you shouldn't face the wrath of the maniacs until they run out of other targets in what is now the non-Islam world.
 
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