Cristina Mateo-Yanguas
Cristina Mateo-Yanguas covers social, economic and political issues in Spain for GlobalPost. As a freelance journalist during the past 12 years, she has contributed to stories about Spain for the...
Spaniards scold the country's ruling party in European elections
Spain's leading opposition party, PP (center-right People's Party), received the largest number of votes in the European elections: 42 percent and 23 seats. PSOE, the ruling center-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, received 38.66 percent of the votes and 21 seats.
Analysts conclude Spaniards expressed their anger at the PSOE's management of Spain's economic crisis, but the punishment seems to have been less than predicted. The difference between Spain's two largest parties is two seats, while in the previous European elections, held in 2004, this difference was one seat — 25 seats for the PP and 24 for the PSOE.
After results were made public at 10 p.m., Leyre Pajin, the PSOE's spokeswoman, said the economic crisis had been "a relevant factor in voting behavior in all countries in Europe." She expressed "concern for the increase of extreme right forces in the European parliament."
PP voters gathering outside their party's headquarters to celebrate victory chanted, "Zapatero, dimision" or "Zapatero, resign", in reference to Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
CEU, Coalition for Europe, a group of conservative nationalist parties, won two seats.
UPyD, which won its first seat in Spain's national elections last year, took its first seat in the European Parliament with this election.
IU (the United Left) took two seats, and Europa de los Pueblos-Vers (a group of left-leaning nationalist and green parties) a single seat.
Participation was higher than expected: 45.9 percent, similar to the 2004 turnout. Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, Spain's Vice-President, called the level of participation "decent."
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