Spain: 60% of the citizens have not voted the European constitutional treaty

Monday February 21, 2005 16:04

by Me

The Spanish government considers the European constitutional treaty pass for the citizenship, in a day in which about 60% of the ones called to the urns did not exert the right to vote. With 93,54% of the scrutinized votes, 76,49% of the Spanish that voted told 'yes' to the text and 17,43% has been decanted for the 'not'. 6% of the ballot papers has been blank.

Since the affirmative vote corresponds at two thirds of the voters, and these are forty per cent of the census, the support to the Constitution would remain therefore established in three of every ten Spanish. The secretary of organization of the PSOE, José Blanco, valued this result stating that "the Spanish have given one yes in a major and unmistakable way to the European Constitution, that it means a firm step forward in the European project and that the percentage of participation was important since there was not confrontation between the two main parties since both defended the back to the Great Letter of the UE and there was not uncertainty on the final result?.

The governmental agency Efe stated that the 76,5 per cent of the Spanish backed up with their vote the European Constitution, something that it is not true because they forget 60% of citizens that has not said at all because they have not voted.

The level of abstention is the worst result of the Spanish democratic history. In the last European elections people arrived to 45% and even the referendum of this Sunday, was the most scarce percentage.

The circumstance is given of which the IF had asked it the two major parties, the major trade unions, the company organizations and the whole of the great media, in spite of what seven of every ten Spanish were not convinced.

On the other hand, the result of the vote was not binding since the government had already signed the treaty officially.

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Comments (4 of 4)

Well...

by jeff

Mon Feb 21, 2005 16:15

...too bad they did not bother registering to vote. Spain is a normal, functioning western dfemoicracy, not Iraq, where people have to saty in nearly 24/7 for fear of being shot by either yanks or insurgents.

Spanish vote

by John

Mon Feb 21, 2005 16:27

Well, by the same reckoning, 93% have NOT voted against it. In a democracy all are free to vote or not vote. If you don't vote, don't complain about the result.

More cause for condern?

by Dan

Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:34

dottorre at o2online dot de

While there may be some reason to question the acceptance of the EU Constitution by the voters in Spain - there could be important regional differences which give serious cause for concern.

This was certainly the case with the Spanish National Referendum - as the country struggled to make its transition to democracy almost thirty years ago - on 6 December 1978.

At that time the news of an overwhelming positive vote flashed around the world. Over three-quarters of the voters had gone to the polls and more than 92 % had voted in favour of the proposed new Spanish Constitution.

BUT - the situation was very different in the Basque country - where abstention was almost equivalent to rejection.

With a turnout of just under 49 % - [compare this with figures today] - and just over three-quarters of the votes cast in favour - this meant that almost two-thirds of this important region had effectively not endorsed the new proposed new constitution.

I’ll pop the cork on my Cava when I see some details.

move on democrats-

by speedy gonzales

Tue Feb 22, 2005 13:54

if you please, Spain is in many ways a more highly developed democracy than Eire. The role of voting for or against, or in "blank" or abstention of the political party candidate lists are well understood. In addition the constitutional links to the "estates" of society, the military, the church, the media, the beurocracy, the unions and the social assemblies is arguably the most highly evolved on the planet.
Only in Spain could you see deputies sit from representing an illegalised party, only in Spain do the very clear majority of ministers and leaders of loyal opposition have some varient of the first name José.
This evolution is a testament to the Spanish peoples progress from the First international of socialists, through dictatorships and democracies to a model constitiutional monarchy where everyone is happy to complain within the limits of surreality and under the ever growing dependence on financial dudes who play computer games in Frankfort.
Eire operates a completely different system of democracy which is closest to a dominion style brirtish commonwealth based on ango-saxon jurisprudence where any old fecker can nominated if they buy their fellow party members enough dhrink.

If you're interested in the future of Europe, or of Eire then pay attention to your own emerging democracy, its institutions and its estates and the relationship they play to in their satelitic dependancies to the governments of the USA and UK and EU. But don't think you're going to learn much from the spanish experience expecially if you make mistake of taking one poll in isolation.

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Spain: 60% of the citizens have not voted the European constitutional treaty

Comments (4 of 4)