Spain's ruling PP gets worst local election result in 20 years

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: Reuters

Spain's ruling People's Party (PP) took a battering in regional and local elections on Sunday after voters punished Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for four years of severe spending cuts and a string of corruption scandals.

In a test of the national mood ahead of general elections expected in November, the PP suffered its worst result in more than 20 years to herald an uncertain era of coalition as new parties rose to fragment the vote.

Spaniards rejected the stability offered by the PP and rival Socialists which have alternated in power since the end of dictatorship 40 years ago and opted for change in the shape of new parties - market-friendly Ciudadanos ('Citizens') and anti-austerity Podemos ('We Can').

Rajoy's future looked bleak as his strategy to bet on an accelerating economic rebound to win a second term later this year was seriously undermined by his party's poor showing.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/24/us-spain-election-idUSKBN0O90AW20150524

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Gee, that's a shame. Go Podemos!

[Dawson Leery]

2. The PP is worse than the Tories and eerily similar to the US GOP.

Both need to face electoral wipeouts.

[forest444]

5. And do you know why they haven't yet?

Because just as the GOP uses the "browning of America" to ride waves of ethnic hatred to power, Spain's PP uses the country's generalized hostility for Moroccans and Gypsies - groups which PP voters are quick to blame for all the country's problems ("Austerity? Nah. Massive tax evasion? It's their right. The Bankia collapse? Phooey - it's them hairy Gitanos and Sudacas, I tell you!&quot .

Divide and conquer. Works every time, ¡joder!

[libdem4life]

3. Spain's Podemos...Greece's Syriza...the Italian Five Star Movement...The Southern European countries

The US has Bernie Sanders, the Independent, now causing some re-assessment.

And it's all about the 1%...the Class war via the monetary system. Same conversation about Corporate Money. It may be as Bernie says...current politicians have no clue how deep the middle class angst is buried awaiting a voice to express/vote their frustration. If he can get his message out there, who knows?

Even Ireland, came out heavily for LGBT. I read an article that says that over 50% of Americans consider themselves liberal.

[McKim]

4. Congratulations, Spain!

Kudos to the Spanish people. The PP treated the Spanish People like spoiled whining children while they squirreled away millions in Swiss Banks. Now we here need to go for Bernie and show these Neocon-lites that we are done with them and their greedy wars.