Seville (Reuters) – the tourist Andalusia, the largest community of Spain, lacks its traditional good humor because of a crisis that has cornered it with the highest rate of unemployment in the country, a dramatic situation that seems to lead the Sunday an electoral swing in favour of PP after more than three decades of Socialist governments.
Between the Andalusian, the general State of mind is of abatement and pessimism by the great scope of the crisis and fatigue and boredom by a political class that is starring in corruption scandals who loot a depleted public coffers that must cope with large debts.
“this is a town that had much joy, did not see the faces that are now”, said Domingo GarcÃa, a jeweler of 60 years of the town of Cartaya (Huelva) who, like so many other villages near the coast, suffered the blow of the bursting of the housing bubble and now malvive agricultural production.
Her daughter Bella, of 35 years and Councillor for the PSOE in the municipality lost by the Socialists after the conservative wave which swept in the municipal of may, and then in the November General accepts with resignation that the situation is very adverse to his training.
“people want a change whether or not (supporters) of the PP,” said with some resignation.
A total of 6.4 million voters are called to the polls to choose between “the Andalusian change” which advocates the PP of Javier Arenas or “safe way” of the PSOE in José Antonio Griñán, which will try to lure the undecided with the fear of cuts in benefits and welfare, especially in health and education.
“Let’s a noisy victory of the PP”, Manuel Montero, Professor of history at the University of Granada, told Reuters by phone.
“(Andalusian) know that there will be more cuts.” “Confidence is that the cuts are sensible,” added.
“Lend a hand”
The Government of Mariano Rajoy has embarked on a series of tough measures to cut the deficit and approved a labor reform that facilitates the dismissal, which has led to the call for a general strike on March 29.
A member of the PP in Congress told Reuters previously that after the Andalusian elections, the PP will adopt a new package of reforms in April allowing autonomy to raise University fees and start charging for some medical services, known as health care co-payment.
“a victory for the PP will be as a support for the austerity measures”, said Josep Lobera, director of research at Metroscopia, to Reuters.
Polls indicate that, while the economy is moving towards its second recession in three years, 50 percent of Spaniards supported Rajoy saving measures in some social services, according to data from Metroscopia.
“I am privileged and believe that we must help the country,” said Maria Antonia Vázquez, officer retired 68 years of Cartaya and mother of three children who work, that bets clearly by the end of socialism in Andalusia.
Unemployment, crisis and, finally, corruption scandals in this autonomy of 8.4 million people have seriously damaged the image of a PSOE which the Andalusians have been loyal from the beginning of democracy.
That “love story” is about to come to an end, and does not seem that the breakdown will be friendly or painless. Recent polls give an ample majority of 59 seats up PP, against the current 47, while the PSOE would suffer a collapse of 15 members who would also favour United Left, increasing up to nine members in Parliament of 109 seats, according to Metroscopia.
The last large corruption scandal is the case of the ERE after detection of fraudulent retirement in the employment regulation files subsidized by the Junta de AndalucÃa.
The case is currently under investigation and there is a score of senior officials and civil servants who, which would have also used public money for the consumption of drugs and alcohol, according to the leaks of the case in the press.
“There has been a turning point in the scandal of the ERE with the consumption of drugs and drinks.” “That he has come here to people”, said Eduardo Peralta, director of the newspaper Ideal of Granada, to Reuters, for whom corruption is going to play a decisive role in the Socialist defeat, which would lose almost all of its institutional power in Spain.
A few days of its famous Easter, thousands of Andalusian families live the calvary of a labor and economic insecurity that drives them towards a change in political direction.
“the situation is very bad.” “I had to help my friends unemployed did not have not to eat”, said Eva Morales, Sevillian painter of 42 years with three-year-old daughter, and a brother and brother-in-law between 31% of unemployed in the community, compared to 22.8% of the Spanish average.
RURAL ANDALUSIA
This feeling of helplessness and disillusionment is seen also in streets, bars and shops in the rural Cartaya, once a rich town receiving immigrants for booming construction and the field.
Cartaya is a town of 20,000 people whose population immigrant, a 24.5%, now competing for scarce jobs in the field.
Lucia Maestre is a graduate of environmental sciences of 32 years who laments his luck, equal to thousands of young people where unemployment has fattened, with almost half of them jobless.
“my working life fails a year”, Lucia told Reuters, who works in a bar on weekends, not listed Social Security and 1,000 euros per month salary seem a mirage.
“he will win the PP and all I ask is that you bring a job, said.
However, what precisely working Rosa Bendala, columnist press and former Councillor of Izquierda Unida in Seville, believes that it will not bring a victory of the pp.
“both the barely existing in Andalusia business class, or PP, have never given work here”, said Bendala, who thinks that it can still be a coalition Government between the PSOE and IU, a hypothesis not ruling out the latest survey of the CIS.
The owner of a small hotel with 10 rooms Loli Vazquez has had to do without two employees, half of its workforce, because for two years already not staying there or technical and construction operators or marketers who were touring the province.
“I have not had any assistance.” “You cannot give aid to the company of the daughter of Chávez (Manuel, the previous President of the Junta de AndalucÃa, which some accuse of nepotism) and others not”, noted for adding that the Socialists should pay for what they have done.
Andalusian Socialists are on track to lose his jewel in the Crown, a setback for a party vapuleado in recent elections after the overwhelming victory of the PP Mariano Rajoy in almost all the autonomous communities and major councils in the country.
“This has been a farmhouse (of the PSOE) for 30 years.” And the worst is the brazenness with which have acted in many cases (such as waste and nepotism in public positions) “, said Pedro jury, master retired at the age of 73, first former Democratic Mayor of the town with the defunct UCD and today a highly respected favorite son of Cartaya.
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/Por Iciar Reinlein /
