Spain – The New Leader
All that remains is to draw a summary profile of the new socialist leader. Born in Valladolid in 1960 and raised in the bosom of a family of socialist traditions (one of his grandparents, a soldier, was shot by Franco’s troops), José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appears as a man as mild and gentle in his features as he is determined in the defense of principles he believes in. Elected as a deputy at the age of twenty-six in the 1986 general elections, he was always confirmed in subsequent elections. Winning result for a handful of votes on the competitor, José Bono, on 22 July 2000 at the end of the 35th Socialist Congress, at the head of the current called Nueva vía formed by a group of young deputies intolerant of the protection of the historical leaders of Spanish socialism, Rodríguez Zapatero came directly from the party to Moncloa, without having administrative experience of any kind. From his rise to the top of the party, the only moment of difficulty was experienced in June 2003, when, after the elections won in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the defection of some newly elected members of the PSOE led to new elections on 26 October and the reversal of the result that had been obtained a few months earlier.
In the context of European socialism, Rodríguez Zapatero appears destined to occupy a space of his own, as distant from Blair as regards the international vision and Europe, as far as French socialism as regards the role of the state. Some saw in his speeches and programs glare of the positions that the philosopher Philip Pettit of Irish politics has handed in his Republicanism (trad. It. Republicanism.
A theory of freedom and government, Milan, Feltrinelli, 2000; and. orig., 1997). Others have embroidered starting from a declaration by the same socialist leader who defined his own as a ‘libertarian socialism’. Of socialism de los ciudadanos (of citizens, or perhaps better, of citizenship) Rodríguez Zapatero also spoke on 4 July 2004, in the closing speech at the 36th Congress of the PSOE, listing the ideas that make it up with these words: “The submission of governments and men to laws and laws only, rebellion against any type of domination, respect for the diversity of identities in our country, respect for the identity of the person and his rights, a concern for coexistence on a universal level, an effective equality between men and women, people’s growing rights in public life, the duty of collective participation, culture as a public virtue, secular society, a passion for knowledge, an effort for education and, of course,the radical condemnation of violence and wars “. To this he added as civil values that socialists should practice” austerity, humility, love for freedom, concern for the fate of others, commitment, honesty, generosity. “But it is premature to establish kinship and affinity for a man who has a very small past to exhibit and, barring political unforeseen events, a lot of future to be filled with content.much future to be filled with content.much future to be filled with content.
As soon as the result of the elections was known, Rodríguez Zapatero confirmed the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq, and then explained the reasons face to face, together with the general lines of what his foreign policy will be, in the first meetings with European leaders and world championships on March 24, on the occasion of the funeral of the victims of the attack. But it is in the investiture speech of April 15 that the socialist leader outlined the political lines of the future administration: limited reform of the Constitution (of the Senate, of the rules governing the succession to the throne, opening access also for women, inclusion in the text constitutional mention of an explicit mention to the 17 communities, to the two autonomous cities and to the Constitution of the European Union), withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Ley de calidad educativa, interventions to reduce insecurity in the world of work, a new housing policy, increase in minimum wages and pensions, recognition of the right of transsexuals and homosexuals to marry.
In the vote of confidence on April 16 Rodríguez Zapatero obtained 183 votes: in addition to the Socialists (164), the representatives of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (8), Izquierda unida (5), Coalición canaria (3), Bloque nacionalista galego voted in favor (2) and Chunta Aragonesista (1). Convergencia i unió (10), Partido nacionalista vasco (7), Eusko Alkartasuna (1), Nafarroa bai (1) abstained, while only the popular voted against (148).
He then formed a government of sixteen ministers, half of them women. Two vice-presidents: the minister to the presidency and spokesman for the government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega and that of the economy and finance, Pedro Solbes. A brief examination of the team allows us to establish some characteristics. The average age is 50, Solbes being the oldest (62) and Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Minister of Justice, the youngest (43). As far as training is concerned, all, with one exception, come from legal or economic studies and several can boast studies in both fields. Some come from the second tier of university teaching, much more from the administration of the state or autonomous communities, others from previous political positions at national and international level, as the Minister of Economy and Finance, Solbes, formerly in the same department in the last cabinet of Felipe González (1993-96) and later Commissioner for Economic Affairs of the European Union, or as the Foreign Minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, former ambassador to Israel, later special envoy of the European Union for the peace process in the Middle East. Or, finally, from regional positions such as José Bono, new Minister of Defense and continuously in the presidency of the Community of Castilla-La Mancha since 1983, for six terms always with an absolute majority. former ambassador to Israel, later special envoy of the European Union for the peace process in the Middle East. Or, finally, from regional positions such as José Bono, new Minister of Defense and continuously in the presidency of the Community of Castilla-La Mancha since 1983, for six terms always with an absolute majority. former ambassador to Israel, later special envoy of the European Union for the peace process in the Middle East. Or, finally, from regional positions such as José Bono, new Minister of Defense and continuously in the presidency of the Community of Castilla-La Mancha since 1983, for six terms always with an absolute majority.
The regional origin varies, but with some gaps, as evidence of the not excessive weight assigned to geopolitics. Without sensational ruptures, but in significant discontinuity with respect to the last socialist government, the government structure appears willing both to make use of the undisputed experience gained by some women and some men on the domestic and international level, and to bet on women and men for first time put to the test. For Spain 2013, please check physicscat.com.
On the international level, Rodríguez Zapatero’s first steps were, as mentioned, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, a decision passed by the Congress of Deputies on May 13, 2004, with 185 votes in favor, four abstentions and only PP votes against. (141). In the meantime, the Spanish premier had already made a trip to Morocco and met Mohamed VI on 24 April, a clear sign of the desire to reverse the wall-to-wall attitude held by Aznar towards the country on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar. He had also manifested on the one hand the desire to get closer to France and Germany, on the other hand that of pursuing an Ibero-American policy independent of Washington. In conclusion: it is a return to the wake of democratic Spain’s foreign policy before Aznar drastically diverted its course, in the aftermath of 11 September. Also with regard to the European Constitution, the new Spanish leader has expressed the desire to overcome the difficulties posed by Aznar in its launch.
No less significant are the first steps taken internally: launch of a round of consultations with all the presidents of the Autonomous Communities, announcement that the representatives of the neighboring Autonomous Communities will be invited to the bilateral summits with France and Portugal; demanded to the EU that Catalan, Euskera and Galician languages obtain the legal recognition they still lack; acceptance of the projects for reforming the Statutes of autonomy and constitutional reform (Alfonso Guerra was elected as president of the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of Deputies, also with the popular vote); start of the reform of the public means of communication starting with the appointment of a commission of essays charged with formulating the proposals to modify the statute of the RTVE, which has been in force since 1980.
Internal problems will be the decisive test for the new socialist leader, who will have to be able to face and solve the complex national question that remains unresolved on the table a quarter of a century after the entry into force of the Constitution.. For the first time since the return of democracy and the creation of the autonomous state after Franco, there is a government similar to that of Madrid in Barcelona. For their part, after the first reactions dictated by bitterness, the popular took the blow and recognized the full legitimacy of the socialist victory. For the first time after many years from Moncloa, words of relaxation and dialogue on the Basque problem have come: a willingness that Basque nationalists, moderate and radical, should not let slip.
