Spain - Out with the Old: The restructuring of Spanish Politics

Abstract

This chapter analyses the transformation of the Spanish party system in the aftermath of the Great Recession, focusing on changes in issue salience, politicisation, and party positioning between 2004 and 2015. Drawing on a systematic content analysis of electoral campaigns, the study examines how economic, political, and cultural issues structured party competition before and after the crisis. The findings show that while pre-crisis competition was largely dominated by “old” cultural issues—particularly security and territorial conflicts—the economic crisis triggered a substantial increase in the salience and politicisation of economic and political reform issues.

The chapter demonstrates that the crisis not only altered the hierarchy of issues but also reshaped the structure of political conflict. The emergence of new parties such as Podemos and Ciudadanos reflects a reconfiguration of the political space, characterised by increased polarisation and the rise of new cultural and political reform dimensions. By comparing party positions across electoral cycles, the analysis reveals a gradual erosion of the traditional two-party dominance and the consolidation of a more fragmented and multidimensional party system.

Overall, the Spanish case illustrates how economic crises can catalyse long-term transformations in party competition, generating both programmatic innovation and systemic restructuring within established democracies.