Spain celebrates Sunday crucial elections for their future

USPA NEWS - Spain celebrates Sunday legislative elections of vital importance for the future of the country. The first after a serious economic crisis, come at a time when the Catalan independence movement threatens the unity of Spain. Two blocks defined face at the polls.

On the one hand, the conservative Popular Party (PP) of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who aspires to re-election. The polls predict her as the winner, but caution that need the support of other parties to form a Government. Among these parties, the closest to the Conservatives is the centrist Citizens, which stands ready to support Rajoy if the PP candidate wins the elections and to prevent leftist political parties, especially the populist Podemos, can form a Government "losers" according to the president of Citizens and candidate for Prime Minister, Albert Rivera, said.

At the other extreme politics, left divided between the Socialist Party, the Communist United Left (IU its Spanish acronym) and the populist Podemos. The latter two are in favor of holding a referendum in Catalonia to decide their membership in Spain. What is at stake in this election, therefore, is not only the composition of the Spanish bicameral Parliament but the country's future.

This election may vote 36.5 million Spaniards, 731,461 more than in the legislative elections of 2011. Of the total number of voters, 1.9 million live abroad, Argentina being the country with the largest number of Spanish voting in these elections (392,943), followed by France (194,937). The Central Electoral Board authorized on Saturday that the Spanish living abroad may vote at consulates, dramatically, to the same Sunday due to problems with mail. And the postal voting for these elections has increased by 12.7% compared to the previous elections.

Candidates from all parties took the day of reflection on Saturday to rest with their families, after two weeks of intense campaigning during which discussions were held with four head of the Socialist list, Citizens Party and Podemos, and the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of the PP; and a face-off between the Prime Minister and Conservative candidate, Mariano Rajoy, and the secretary general of the Socialist Party, Pedro Sanchez. The recent economic crisis, recovery and political corruption are the issues that have occupied more minutes at meetings and discussions.

These elections are also the first to be held with terror alert level 4. According to the Government, this circumstance has caused the number of police and civil guards in charge of security at 1,700 effective with respect to other electoral events is increased to a total of 91,702 agents. However, the Spanish Government said on Saturday, during the presentation of special device arranged to election day, the increase in the number of agents is not exorbitant because a serious threat is not expected against the process.