SPAIN: Catalan Nationalists Deliver Final Death Blow to Gonzalez

By Tito Drago Reprint | | Print |

Tito Drago

MADRID, Jun 22 1995 (IPS) - Spain’s Catalan nationalists gave the final death blow to the government on Thursday, when they withdrew the parliamentary support that gives Felipe Gonzalez’s socialist administration a governing majority.

Joaquin Molins, parliamentary spokesman for the Catalan nationalists – who with the votes of their 21 deputies provided Gonzalez’ Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) with a ruling majority – told ‘Radio Ser’ on Thursday that “the best thing to do is to call (early) elections.”

According to Molins, the executive branch “has no credibility at this time, because of its incapacity to govern.”

He added that the government seems to be “paralysed,” and pronounced himself in favour of early elections, which according to opinion polls would give birth to a new parliamentary majority.

These days Gonzalez, shaken by a series of scandals – concerning corruption, espionage and abuse of power – wakes up every morning to a new piece of bad news.

The latest big scandal to hit the fan was the illegal spying on King Juan Carlos and his friends, members of the business community, artists and journalists that was carried out by a government intelligence service.

Vice-president Narcis Serra, defence minister Julian Garcia Vargas and the director of the Superior Information Centre for Defence (CESID), General Emilio Alonso Manglano, have all presented their resignations over that affair.

Manglano’s renunciation has already been accepted, but the PSOE says that the other two resignations will be considered once investigations of the CESID have concluded, arguing that the most qualified officials to head the probe are Serra and Garcia Vargas.

But the Catalan nationalists demanded Wednesday in parliament that the two men be immediately allowed to step down.

Meanwhile, the opposition – on both the right and the left – argues that Serra and Garcia Vargas are being kept on in an attempt by Gonzalez to avoid facing his own responsibility, and to gain time.

Thus they too are accusing the government of inaction and paralysis, and are demanding that parliament be immediately dissolved and general elections called.

Even within the PSOE criticism of Gonzalez is growing, and changes in the government have been called for, although no party member has come out in favour of early elections.

Former justice minister and long-time PSOE leader, Enrique Mugica, proposed changes in the cabinet, saying that “a significant restructuring of the government” is needed.

The loss of Catalan nationalist support will force the government to either seek new alliances – which appears to be an impossible dream – or call early elections.

In government circles, it is speculated that elections could be set for February or March 1996.

But according to the opposition, elections must be called as early as possible.

The position of opposition parties was illustrated by a statement by Jose Maria Aznar, the leader of the conservative Popular Party, who opinion polls point to as Spain’s new head of government.

Following Wednesday’s parliamentary debate, Aznar said that “the government is marching to the strains of a funeral march.”