What issues divide Spanish society?
Spaniards are most worried about the economy. They are not divided on that issue. The lines of division are elsewhere: the devolution process, especially with Catalonia and the Basque country; immigration, because Spain has become, in absolute numbers, the second-biggest immigration destination, after the U.S., and how to tackle the terrorist threat of an ETA that is weakened but nonetheless still capable of doing damage. What issues have been neglected in this electoral race? The candidates haven’t talked much about foreign policy, which was one of the main topics during the 2004 election because of the Iraq War and the position that [former prime minister José María] Aznar took on that issue. There is a general agreement about some European issues, such as being opposed to the independence of Kosovo.
Spaniards are most worried about the economy. They are not divided on that issue. The lines of division are elsewhere: the devolution process, especially with Catalonia and the Basque country; immigration, because Spain has become, in absolute numbers, the second-biggest immigration destination, after the U.S., and how to tackle the terrorist threat of an ETA that is weakened but nonetheless still capable of doing damage. What issues have been neglected in this electoral race? The candidates haven’t talked much about foreign policy, which was one of the main topics during the 2004 election because of the Iraq War and the position that [former prime minister José María] Aznar took on that issue. There is a general agreement about some European issues, such as being opposed to the independence of Kosovo. Do you think they will behave differently towards the U.S? Zapatero is waiting to see who wins the presidential elections in the U.S., while Rajoy will probably have a more direct line t
