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Spaniards leading a national surge in global business and politics, culture and the arts. As the country prepares for a pivotal election, TIME examines its striking creative burst
Posted Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004; 15.48GMT
Most of the issues swirling around the March 14 Spanish election are the sort that would figure in any European campaign: unemployment, health care, education and the government’s stance on Iraq. In Spain, though, political passions run hottest on something most Europeans mercifully consider a given: the unity of the country itself. “Spain is an invention of the Catholic kings, a nation made of kingdoms,” says Enrique de Villamor, a caterer sipping coffee in a café frequented by nationalists in the Basque town of Zumarraga. “For historic reasons, our common denominator is the Spanish language, but other than that all the regions are radically different.” Yet Spain’s proud autonomous regions share a common ambition: more self-rule. In the north-east, Catalonia demands the authority to raise taxes that the Basque Country in the north already has; in the northwest, Galicia wants its cultural traditions better protected; the Catalans and the Basques are also calling for new autonomous court systems that would reduce the ambit of the Madrid Supreme Court; and some Basques won’t be satisfied with anything less than independence.
Since it sprang from the ashes of Franco’s dictatorship in 1975, Spain’s young democracy has been constantly engaged in a dramatic discussion about where the singular and plural visions of the country meet. But after eight years of conservative government under departing Prime Minister José María Aznar, who particularly in recent years has taken a harder line in defending Madrid’s powers, the conflict is welling up with new force. Aznar’s chosen successor as candidate for the Popular Party (PP), Mariano Rajoy, and the Socialist (PSOE) candidate José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero both advocate further economic reforms, a stronger voice in Europe and an emphasis on Spain as a natural link between Europe and the Spanish speakers of the Americas. But on relations between the central government and the regions, they differ markedly.
If the PP wins — and opinion polls consistently give it the edge — Spain should steel itself for more confrontation. Says Rajoy: “I understand that there are thousands of Spaniards who can’t sleep because the constitution and the statutes [governing regional autonomy] aren’t being reformed, but they’re not going to vote for me, since [such] reform isn’t in my program.” Should the Socialists confound expectations and form a governing coalition with smaller parties, Zapatero has promised to reform the constitution so that the Senate could become a body of regional representatives, like the German Bundesrat. That may placate some of the Catalans and Galicians, for instance, but it is unlikely to satisfy the nationalist government in the Basque Country, which wants a radically different relationship with Spain. Can Spain satisfy the political aspirations of the distinct peoples within its borders without tearing itself apart?
Divide And Conquer [Mar. 1, 2004]
Basque terrorist group ETA throws a "message bomb" into the Spanish general-election campaign
Death Coast [Dec 2, 2002]
After an aging tanker sins off Spain, a vast slick of fuel oil destroys beaches, wildlife and fishermen's dreams. Could this disaster have been prevented?
They Came To Reign in Spain [Sep. 27, 2002]
You wait for a major sporting competition to come along, and three show up at the same time.
A Meeting Of Minds [Jul. 15, 2002]
European Union leaders meet in Seville to look for common ground on everything
Gaudí Mania [Apr. 26, 2002]
The work of controversial architect Antoni Gaudí is getting a fresh look as Spain marks the 150th anniversary of his birth
Bust In Madrid [Dec. 21, 2001]
A well-established al-Qaeda cell may have been directly involved in planning the U.S. terrorist attacks
Madrid: Living la Vida Loca [Nov. 12, 2001]
Madrileos like it late, loud and lively in their multitude of bars and restaurants
Mogadishu at 60 Miles an Hour Arms merchants are once again doing brisk business after a rapid change of power in this tough town, but so far the peace has held
The Year of The Nuke A rundown of the world's nuclear powerhouses, and what to expect in the coming months
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