El marcado libre avanza por todas partes del mundo

From Cliff Thies:

Add Spain to the list of countries in the world indicating they are ready to shift from the socialist-left orientation to a center-right orientation. A recent survey gives the center-right Popular Party (better translated as People's Party) a ten point lead over the Socialist Workers' Party. In the last election, the Socialists eked out a thin, four point victory over the Popular Party.

(See chart for survey at electometro.com)

And this from Reuters, "Spain's Socialists pay high price for crisis":

(Reuters) - Spain's economic crisis has seen support for the minority Socialist government nosedive and increased doubts about its ability to remain at the helm of the eurozone's fourth largest economy.

A 15-billion-euro austerity bill scraped through parliament by just one vote on Thursday, narrowly avoiding setting off a vote of no-confidence.

And if there were any doubts about the national mood, opinion polls in the weekend papers put Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government as much as 10 points behind the conservative opposition Popular Party (PP).

The next Spanish general elections are due in 2012, but an early election is a possibility though not likely in the near-term...

The Popular Party and its leader Mariano Rajoy could muster sufficient support in parliament for a vote of no-confidence on any pretext, which would mean early elections.

"There's a high probability the PP will win the next election, no matter what, considering the current economy, but Spain really doesn't need an election right now," said professor of economics at Grenada University Santiago Carbo Valverde.

In addition to the two main parties, there are a number of smaller parties, including both center-right and socialist-left nationalist parties in the several "national" regions of Spain. Four governments ago, the Popular Party ruled in coalition with the center-right nationalist parties. Three governments ago, obtaining a majority in the Spanish parliament in its own name, the Popular Party ruled alone. Implementation of the kind of reforms that are needed would be helped by securing a large majority in the parliament, so that even if the Popular by itself won a majority, it should consider forging a coalition with the center-right nationalist parties.

Photo - Mariano Rajoy Brey, leader Popular People's Party