For the past 24 years (this is, for most of my life), the regional and local map of Spanish politics has been dominated by the PP (Popular Party, if I were to make comparisons with the UK they would be the "tories") and the PSOE (the Spanish socialist workers' party, if I were making comparisons with the UK they would be very, very watered down labour); but mostly by the PP. The PSOE dominated in some regions (Andalucia especially), and the Basque country and Catalonia have always had a strong presence of their own nationalistic parties, but for the most part, the PP has been incredibly strong in a lot of Spain for a very, very long time.
I'll put my city as an example, because it is the place I know. Ávila is a gorgeous city (see picture below), very small (about 60000 people live there) and with a high proportion of older people (slightly over half of the population is older than 40). This last fact has to do with many factors, the main one probably being that Ávila does not have a state University. The University of Salamanca has been conceding more and more degrees to schools in Ávila, and we have the private Catholic University, but the fact is, Ávila is not a particularly attractive place for young people to live. It is small, there's not that much going on, and (for its size) it is expensive. On the other hand, it's beautiful, it is well located (within an hour and a half of Salamanca, Segovia, Valladolid and Madrid), like all small places it is comfortable, and considering its size there is plenty of variety in terms of things to do.
Ávila has been governed by the PP since 1991. This is not surprising considering its demographics (in Spain it is quite normal for the older generation to vote "conservative"), but it has been pretty awful for the city. During the economic boom of the 2000s, building licenses for apartments in the area of town where I live (a working class neighbourhood in what used to be the outskirts of town) were handed out very irresponsibly, and now there are about 3 people per house in Ávila (that is a huge proportion). This might not seem like much, let me put it into perspective.
My family moved to my neighbourhood 24 years ago. The house I live in was (at the time) at the outskirts of the city, meaning you could very easily go biking or for a walk in the country; it was also close to the public swimming pool, and Ávila being small, it is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the centre (and only that long because Ávila is a very hilly town, so the walk to the centre is quite steep). Now, Trotski (my dog) is 15 years old this year, and the mass urbanization of the area around my house started about three or four years before I got him (by my calculations, it is likely that it started earlier but the effects were only seen a few years later), so about 1997. The mass urbanization of my neighbourhood means that we are no longer in the outskirts of town, and that places we used to bike to or walk around have now been turned into streets. This wouldn't be a problem if this whole new area of Ávila was populated. It isn't. Some of the apartment blocks haven't been finished. Others have only two or three families living in them. Slowly, more people (especially young people) are starting to move there, but it's still a bit creepy to walk around at night, because it feels like an abandoned city.
The economic crisis hit hard in Ávila. A lot of people made money off the building of all these homes, but more than that, a lot of people were employed in the building of these homes. When the crash occurred and money started running out, these people ended up without a job. Many now work in construction in Madrid and commute from Ávila, many have left. But the fact is, a lot of people, especially older people with secure jobs, have stayed in the city, and by now the economic recovery is starting to be felt. But after 24 years of PP majority leadership in the city, this year there was a surprise. The emergence of new political forces (especially Ciudadanos, a party that calls itself a centre party, but which many consider to just be the PP with a washed face [personally, I don't have a lot of trust in this party, but if they keep their promises and keep going the way they're going, they could garner a lot of good will. They have some very good proposals, and despite the fact that in some aspects they are very economically liberal, they do agree that they have an interest in maintaining public health and education services, but this is a discussion for some other time]) has meant that the PP has lost its political lead and for the first time in 24 years, in a city known for being conservative and a stronghold of the PP, the PP might not lead the government. These are very exciting times.
Now, for the past few weeks (since the 24th of May), there has been no political leadership in my city. There is no "governing body" or anything like it. And (surprise surprise) everything keeps working just fine. The trash is still cleaned, schools are still opened, people finishing bachillerato are still taking selectividad (best of luck!!!), the public libraries are still open, the job centre works, etc., etc., etc. This makes me wonder if we really want or need a political leadership in the city. Personally, I would go a step further, avoid deals and keep the city going as it is. If problems arose, solve them through talks with the people involved; if they involve the whole city, hold a referendum. Politicians in Ávila have never done much but smile for the photo anyway (note: this is sarcastic. Some heavy weights of the political landscape in Spain have started off in Ávila, and I am sure that certain political decisions in Ávila have affected the citizens in important ways, I just can't think of any right now).
In any case, it's exciting times. I think the city (and by extrapolation the country) was in need of a change. I should point out that in many places, the change has been a turn to Podemos and other left "minority" parties, and that Ávila is not necessarily a good generalising example, but in any case, it is exciting times when a country like Spain, with a heavy bias towards a two party system, gets to the situation where it is now. I'm looking forward to the general election (I will probably stay up for that one) and I'm hoping more change is in the way. It's needed. Corruption in politics needs to be weeded out, and social policies need to be put in place. My country desperately needs it, and for the first time in about seven or eight years, there's hope.
