Politics In Spain

Election campaigns in Spain are well run along the following lines:

- Candidates are chosen by the political parties and a list of their names is published. You therefore vote for a party and not individual candidate.
- The pre-campaign starts about eight weeks before the actual elections
- Canvassing for votes and all campaigning must stop two days before the election date which is normally on a Sunday
- Elections take place at "colegios electorales" which are designated places in the local community where you can vote. Members of the EU resident in Spain and Norwegians who meet specific criteria are allowed to vote in local municipal elections

The Partido Popular (PP) party was founded in 1978 by Manual Fraga who was a minister in the Franco regime and who is now President of the Xunta de Galicia. They lost badly to the Portido Socialista Obrero Espanol (PSOE) in 1982. Fraga resigned as head of the party in 1986 and the current leader, Jose Maria Aznar steered the party to victory in the 1996 general elections. They are currently serving their second term in office, with the socialist PSOE continuing to rule in Andalucia with Manuel Chaves as President.

The third national party, Izquierda Unida was severely affected by the resignation of its leader due to his ill health and lost a high percentage of their share of the overall vote.