
Spain
Reports on Spain See all →

Opinion: Spain, a left-wing illiberal democracy

With the rise of a new Spanish left, the postwar and post-transition consensus was disrupted and old wounds have reopened. Because the ruling leftist coalition of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez needs to compromise with extremist parties, politics is radicalizing on both ends of the spectrum. This will gradually erode national unity, leading to an increasing number of illiberal measures.

Opinion: Catalonia’s intractable separatist conundrum
The Catalan crisis in Spain drags on: the population in the region is split over the question of independence, with no end to the deadlock in sight. And while Madrid officially opposes secession, the current national government relies on the votes of separatist parties to maintain power. To avoid a ...


Catalonia, one year later
A year after Catalonia’s botched declaration of independence, pro-independence parties still cling to power in the regional government but find themselves increasingly at odds with each other. Political gridlock has taken its toll on the Catalan economy, while urban dwellers are tilting toward the anti-independence camp. The choice appears to ...


An ideological exercise in Spain
From his first moves, Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez looks less like a self-confident democrat and more like an old-line state interventionist intent on consolidating power.


New Spanish government’s strong start could strengthen EU
Spanish conservatives have managed to restore economic growth, but the shortcomings of Mariano Rajoy’s governing style and a corruption scandal have created an opening for their main rivals to take power. Thus far, socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is off to a surprisingly strong start.
