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Democracy
By h.b. - Apr 22, 2007 - 9:45 AM
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Angel Acebes shows the press the postal voting form he downloaded from the Internet - Photo EFE
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Angel Acebes was mistaken by saying that postal voting forms found on the Internet are valid
EDITORAL COMMENT -

Spain’s transition to democracy has been praised worldwide for the smooth way in which it was carried out. The role of King Juan Carlos over the time cannot be underestimated, and nearly all of the Spanish people hold the King in high esteem as a result, even if they are not natural royalists.

The transition was as it was for many reasons, not least because of a so-called ‘pact to forget’. A conscious decision was made by the Spanish people to draw a line and move on. It was part of the long healing process.

Now though sections of society who feel aggrieved by the years of the Franco dictatorship have been demanding retribution and the Socialist Government wants to bring in a new Historical Memory Law to set the record straight. Court rulings from the Franco years now look set to be declared invalid.

The opposition Partido Popular, still with some ex-Franco supporters among the older members of its ranks, would much prefer that this sleeping dog be allowed to lie.

With such a debate now emerging almost daily in the media, it’s easy to remember that Spain’s democracy is a young one, and perhaps still has a lot to learn.

The decision by the National Statistics Institute not to name the 235 municipalities where census irregularities have been detected is a mistaken one. There should be a total transparency over such investigations, because only then can the public make a fully informed decision on which party to support.
The recent case in Melilla, where the PP ordered the printing of 1,000 counterfeit postal voting forms is a really worrying one. With allegations that pensioners in Melilla have been phoned up by members of the local home help service and asked for their DNI numbers so that they can ‘vote for the PP’, the situation is of great concern.

Perhaps even more worrying is that the Partido Popular response to the allegations was from Angel Acebes, the PP number two, who gave a press conference waving one of the postal voting forms around in his hand. He told the press that he had that morning downloaded the form from the Internet and that such practice as seen in Melilla was ‘normal’. Normal, we hope not!

Acebes said it was what he called ‘another example of the campaign of persecution organised by the PSOE Socialists against the PP by the use of manipulation and lies’.

It is clear that the manipulation in this case has been attempted by the Partido Popular in Melilla, and the lies have been uncovered by the Junta Electoral, which, in their unanimous decision supported even by the PP members on board, has declared Sñr Acebes to be mistaken. It would not be a mistake for him to apologise.

It is vital that voters in Spain have full respect and believe in the institutions which oversee the elections.

It’s bad enough that one political party is having such a hard time coming to terms with results of the last general election, but it would be a tragedy if the Spanish people as a whole do not believe that any elections here are free and fair, or that the results are anything but truly accurate.

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