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Spanish protests continue despite election results

Wed 25th May 2011

Thousands of disaffected people - mostly young and unemployed - are continuing with their mostly peaceful protests in more than 50 towns and cities across Spain. The occupation of the central areas of many towns - such as the Puerta del Sol in Madrid - are in defiance of the electoral commission branding such demonstrations illegal ahead of the election as much as they are in protest against the austerity cuts and crippling unemployment blamed on the Socialist government.

The ruling socialist party (PSOE) of Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was punished by the people in the weekend's elections, losing many key regions and cities that had previously been considered Socialist strongholds.

The right wing Popular Party (PP) took 11 of the 13 regions where elections took place (4 regions working to a different electoral calendar), including Castilla-La Mancha, which the PSOE had held since the first post-Franco election of 1978. The results of the local election were just as bad, with the loss of Barcelona to Catalan nationalists. The PP also took Seville, and the ruling party's municipal vote share of 27.79% left it almost 10% behind the PP.

Whilst the Prime Minister has taken full responsibility for the massive losses, which were widely expected, he has ruled out calling an early election, despite calls for this being made by the PP.

Those taking part in the elections stood at 66.2% of all eligible voters - 2.3% higher than the previous elections in 2007, perhaps signifying the anger of the voting public.

But does this also mean an overall change of ideology from Socialism to Conservatism, or is it simply a protest vote against the government ?

With 4.2% of the overall vote being void and, and the remaining 29.6% of voters abstaining, a large percentage of the public seemed almost indifferent to the outcome.

Another question being asked is whether a change of regional or local administrations will be in a better position to turn the economic woes of the country around.

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