Date Change for Spain's Presidential Elections

On Friday last, Spanish President Zapatero shocked Spanish voters by announcing that he will be moving the date for the presidential elections in Spain from March 2012 to November 20, 2011. Besides superstitions surrounding the date’s numerical significance (20-11-2011), the 20th of November is a date of singular importance for Spain. November 20, 1975 is the day that Francisco Franco died. A day that ended a 40 year dictatorship in Spain.


The Spanish people are stunned.No political analysis has thus far been able to comprehend the reason for the unexpected change of date. Nonetheless, political analysts have endeavored to understand Zapatero’s motivations. Some believe that Zapatero, who is part of the reigning socialist party in Spain PSOE, is using the death of ultra-conservative Franco as a reminder to voters of the dangers of conservatism. By associating Franco with conservatism, Zapatero would succeed in discouraging votes for PSOE’s conservative counterpart Partido Popular (PP).

Following the 15th of May protests in Spain, PP has been gaining momentum throughout the country and is more or less a shoe-in for the presidency. Zapatero’s assumed intention is to curb PP’s popularity. Whether the change of date hinders or helps either side is yet to be seen.

However, regardless of the outcome, Zapatero’s change of date strikes at the heart of Spain’s history and the heart of the careful culture that has emerged from the Franquista era.