Investment Property in Spain

Politics

Recovery from dictatorship

Much of the last century in Spanish politics was dominated by General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship which lasted for 36 years, following the Spanish Civil War in 1936. His policies left Spain detached from the rest of the world and under a blanket of censorship.

Parliamentary democracy

Franco’s death on the 20th November 1975 instigated a socialist backlash and three years later the first socialist party came into power. Since then, Spain has enjoyed the freedoms of a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy and is possibly one of the most liberal countries in the world.

Current government

The ruling party is the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), a socialist party. In opposition is the Partido Popular (PP), the conservative party. The current president, Rodriguez Zapatero, was elected in March 2004, three days after the Madrid train bombings. This sparked speculation that Zapatero’s opposition to the Iraq war was a main reason for his election. Zapatero’s government has made certain structural reforms, although further reform is needed if Spain’s economic growth is to be maintained.

Politically stable

However, Spain remains one of the world’s more stable countries politically and it can now count itself among the major players of the EU. Spain has been a member of NATO since 1982 and a member of the EU since 1986. As a European nation that enjoys free elections, it also has free press and freedom of speech.

Autonomous communities

Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities, many with devolved power, the largest amount of devolution applying to Galicia, the Basque Country, Catalonia and Andalucia. The rest are: Asturias, Cantabria, Navarra, La Rioja, Aragon, Castilla and Leon, Castilla La Mancha, Madrid, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Murcia, Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, as well as the two autonomous African cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

Decentralised power

Spain is regarded as the most decentralised member state of the EU as all of its different territories manage their health and education systems locally. Catalonia and the Basque Country even have their own fully operational, completely autonomous police forces which widely replace the State police force in these territories.