| Welcome to the weekend issue of Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. Join us on Saturdays for deeper dives from our bureaus across Europe. MADRID — One of the surest ways for a foreigner to make Spaniards bristle is to mention Francisco Franco while discussing current affairs. For many Spaniards, the Franco fixation is a tired stereotype, but the dictator's legacy is a persistent prism for interpreting many dynamics in Spanish politics and society. Now, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appears to have put an end the argument, at least for this year, with his government organizing more than 100 events to mark the 50th anniversary of Franco's death on Nov. 20 — and to revisit his significance. Sanchez even named a commissioner to oversee the organization and kickstarted it all himself with a speech at one of Spain's most iconic museums, the Reina Sofia. The event, packed with ministers and foreign diplomats, started with a flamenco dance performance and was followed by a video showing a young journalist approaching young adults on the street to ask them what they knew about Franco.  Pedro Sanchez during the first event of the "Espana en Libertad" (Spain in freedom) official commemorations marking the 50th anniversary of Franco's death, at Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. Photographer: Iscar Del Pozo/AFP But for Sanchez, focusing on Franco's death is as much about reviewing the deep social, economic and cultural changes Spain has undergone over the past five decades as it is about fighting over politics. It the early 70s, when Franco's 36-year long reign was nearing its end, women still required a husband's permission to open bank accounts. Today, Sanchez leads a cabinet with more women than men. The commemorations are also about framing Sanchez's warnings about the rise of the far-right and fascism — a group that for him can include Argentina's President Javier Milei, US "technoligarchs" and Vox, the Spanish far-right party that holds the third most seats in Parliament. The opposition says he's staging a major distraction to move the focus away from day-to-day affairs. Since Vox's emergence as a major political force in elections in 2023, it's become a key ally for the People's Party, the conservative group that is Spain's largest party and the traditional rival of Sanchez's Socialists.  Franco's mausoleum, at the cemetery of Mingorrubio-El Pardo northern Madrid. Photographer: Thomas Coex/AFP Neither Vox or the PP openly defend the Franco years, but both, on occasion, sit uncomfortably with the matter. Vox calls for a return to "pre-constitutional times" as far as the political powers of the regions go, which basically means returning to the type of centralist government of the Franco years. PP was founded in 1989 as a successor of Alianza Popular, the right-wing party created after the return of democracy by one of Franco's most prominent ministers. Even so, some of Sanchez's coalition worry that dwelling on Franco and creating confrontation with Vox will only give the far right more relevance. Fifty years later, it's clear that Spain hasn't fully escaped the Franco years. — Rodrigo Orihuela, Madrid bureau chief | 
No comments:
Post a Comment