Forum debate on whether Spain is a real democracy

Spain: democracy or a monarchy of parties?

The debate over the democratic quality of Spain's political system is back on the table. The opening argument claims that we do not live in a democracy, but in a "monarchy of parties" where we vote every four years for the manager, while the owner of the estate is hereditary and was put there by Franco. The thesis is blunt: every party standing in elections swears to defend the owner, so there is no way to remove him by voting. That, the argument concludes, is not democracy but a dictatorship with a vote. The text notes that neither Podemos, the most republican of them, dares to touch the monarchy, nor does the PSOE, whose Felipe González struck a deal with Juan Carlos. The conclusion is bitter: Spain is a dictatorship.

The king as a decorative figure

Some of the participants point out that the monarch neither steers nor decides within the parties, which are the ones really running the show. The system is described as a textbook partitocracy with a crown for show. Others argue that the king is a middle manager of Ex-paña SA, a Chinese vase excellently paid but with no real power. The discussion drifts toward the usefulness of the monarchy as a decorative institution.

Is Switzerland the only real democracy?

Several participants argue that no European country is a full democracy and that France is on its way to ceasing to be one. The exception cited is Switzerland, where laws are voted on by referendum. The United States is also mentioned as a strong democracy where citizens can remove their governors and senators. The contrast with Spain is obvious: here there is no recall of officials and no direct democracy.

The Transition as the origin of the problem

The debate goes back to the Spanish Transition. It is claimed that the Constitution is a Guasonic invention imposed under duress and with no legal validity. Others recall that Franco submitted the monarchical form of the State to a referendum twice: in 1947, with the Law of Succession, and in 1967, with the Organic Law of the State. The discussion about the legitimacy of the '78 regime remains open.

The economy as a backdrop

The thread drifts toward the economy. Critics complain that millions of cheap homes and cheap cars are no longer being built. The lack of separation of powers and of real representation is mentioned. Some argue that democracy has failed because all democracies are worsening their citizens' quality of life. The conclusion is that there is a pattern: the system does not work for the majority.

The closing: assembly democracy

A final contribution proposes assembly democracy as the only true democracy, criticizing both the right and the left for shying away from freedom with responsibility. The debate ends without consensus: some believe Spain is a dictatorship, others that it is an imperfect democracy, and others that the problem is the global economic system. The discussion remains open.