Chapter 7 Spain and Portugal

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Chapter 7Spain and Portugal

• Jonathan Hopkin
• Ingrid van Biezen

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Spain and Portugal

• Similarities
• Revolution and reform
• Constitutional basics
• Party systems
• Future challenges

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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

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Constitutional basics Spain

• Spanish constitution is complex balance
• Parliamentary monarchy
• Prime ministerial dominance
• Constructive motion of censure
• Weak upper house
• DHondt PR electoral system (but disproportional)
• 17 Autonomous Communities

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Constitutional Basics Portugal

• 1976 Constitution reflected left-wing nature of
  military revolt (but later revised to become more
  neutral
• Semi-presidential executive
• Unicameral legislature
• DHondt PR electoral system (no threshold)

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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

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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

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Future Challenges Spain

• Elitist parties
• Peripheral nationalism
• PSOE-PP divisions over ETA/nationalism

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Future Challenges Portugal

• Economic performance
• Political corruption
• However, Portuguese democracy faces less severe
  problems than Spains