Chapter 7 Spain and Portugal

1. Chapter 7Spain and Portugal Jonathan Hopkin Ingrid van Biezen

2. Spain and Portugal • Similarities • Revolution and reform • Constitutional basics • Party systems • Future challenges

3. Similarities • Geographic location • Age • History of authoritarianism • Late economic development • Recently democratized • Joined EC 1 January 1986

4. Revolution and Reform • Spain and Portugal both lived under right-wing dictatorships until the 1970s • Transition to democracy in Portugal through a left-wing military revolt • In Spain, an elite-managed transition • Both had become western-style democracies by early 1980s

5. Constitutional basics: Spain • Spanish constitution is complex balance • Parliamentary monarchy • Prime ministerial dominance • Constructive motion of censure • Weak upper house • D’Hondt PR electoral system (but disproportional) • 17 Autonomous Communities

6. Constitutional Basics: Portugal • 1976 Constitution reflected left-wing nature of military revolt (but later revised to become more ‘neutral’ • Semi-presidential executive • Unicameral legislature • D’Hondt PR electoral system (no threshold)

7. Spanish Party System • PSOE revised policy post-Franco and dominated 1980s under Gonzalez leadership • PCE performed poorly, eventually joining United Left, a minority left force • UCD – centre-right - collapsed in 1982 • Popular Party – dominant right party • Recent rise of nationalist parties

8. Portuguese Party System • Stable/predictable party system: • Communist Party (PCP) • Socialist Party (PS) • Social Democratic Party (PSD) (centre-right) • Partido do Centro Democrático Social (CDS) (conservative) • PS and PSD have become the two main parties since 1987

9. Future Challenges: Spain • Elitist parties • Peripheral nationalism • PSOE-PP divisions over ETA/nationalism

10. Future Challenges: Portugal • Economic performance • Political corruption • However, Portuguese democracy faces less severe problems than Spain’s