The government proposed two new appointments, and the General Council of the Judiciary had to appoint the other two judges. ![]() In June, the mandates of four of the 12 judges had expired, thus compromising the functioning of the court. ![]() ![]() Both changes directly benefit the organizers of the 2017 referendum.Ī second important aspect of this reform has to do with changes to the functioning of the Constitutional Court. Among the approved changes are the removal of the crime of sedition and the reduction of the sentencing for the crime of misuse of public funds, redefined to include only instances in which funds are misappropriated for personal gain. The crisis was triggered by reform of the penal code, which affects the Catalonia question and the functioning of the Constitutional Court. In the winter of 2022, a new crisis emerged, this time triggering a collision between the legislative and judicial powers. Sanchez, even if their share of the national vote is negligible. After the April 2019 elections failed to deliver a government, regional independentist parties became determined to sustain the ruling coalition led by the socialist Mr. Vote fragmentation prevents the formation of majority governments and paves the way for coalitions that may erode already fragile consensus. While the end of the bipartisan system brought more political diversity, it also introduced instability. It gave rise to the anti-independentist and liberal Citizens (Ciudadanos) party and the founding and fast ascendency of the Vox nationalists. With this new political configuration, a fresh challenge emerged in 2017 when the Catalan referendum favoring the region’s independence reignited the conflict between separatists and unionists, with political consequences beyond Catalonia. The strong showing ended the bipartisan model – featuring the left-center Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and the conservative People’s Party - that had characterized Spanish democracy since the 1975 death of dictator Francisco Franco. In 2015, the movement turned into a progressive party led by Pablo Iglesias and secured 20.7 percent of the vote. It started as a protest movement in response to rising discontent with austerity measures. What started as a financial crisis evolved into a social one with far-reaching political consequences, as evidenced by the emergence in 2014 of Podemos, now rebranded as United We Can. By 2013, the unemployment rate exceeded 25 percent. Spain has been immersed in multiple crises since 2008, when the economy was among the worst hit by the great recession. Failing that, voters by December 10 will elect all 350 members of the Congress of Deputies and 208 out of 265 members of the Senate in Spain’s bicameral parliament, officially called Cortes Generales. However, the People’s Party has called for early elections, challenging the government’s legitimacy and accusing it of passing fundamental legislation opposed by voters. But the party has declared that it will neither vote for or against the censure motion. ![]() The main opposition force, the conservative People’s Party (Partido Popular), is facing pressure to rally the opposition against laws adopted by the ruling coalition. It is a symbolic act with no chance of success since the coalition government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), is supported by a parliamentary majority. Spanish opposition forces have denounced what they call an “institutional crisis” and a “coup against the constitutional order.” Vox, a leading opposition party, is seeking a motion of censure against the government. Amid fears of recession, the erosion of consensus and clashes between the legislative and judicial powers, political instability could have serious consequences in the nation of 47 million people. With a general election scheduled for December, this will be an eventful year for Spanish politics. Political uncertainty will likely exacerbate the economy’s structural flaws.Shrinking centrism and a proliferation of parties make governing harder.The People’s Party and Vox, opposition forces, are poised to gain voters.
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