Autonomous Community of Galicia in the Contemporary Political System of Spain

Abstract

The article characterizes the place of Galicia in the political process of Spain and compares its regionalism with that of Catalonia and the Basque Country. Increased role of regional parties in the Spanish parliament and a high degree of inter-party competition make the issue topical. These conditions were created after the establishment of the left-wing PSOE — Unidas Podemos coalition government in 2020 between. The research was aimed at determining the characteristics refl ecting the position of Galicia and its parties in the renewed Spanish political landscape. In Galicia, which together with Catalonia and the Basque Country is one of the three “historical regions” of Spain, the popularity of nationalist forces has grown, as demonstrated by the autonomous elections of 2020. Meanwhile, nationalism in Galicia is not as widespread as in Catalonia or the Basque Country. It is explained by a mixture of historical and economic features that shaped Galicia’s development in the 20th century. The party system of the region is stable. The dominant player is the People’s Party (PP), which overwhelmingly won the local elections in 2012, 2016 and 2020. Galician parties, unlike the Catalan and the Basque forces, have extremely limited tools to infl uence the Spanish political process. However, after former Galician leader Alberto Feijoo became the head of the PP, regional agenda may receive additional support in Madrid.