THE Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE)has overtaken the ruling centre-right Partido Popular in the latest opinion poll which makes bad reading for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The Partido Party (PP) of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy would win 32 percent of the vote if elections were held now against 33.5 percent for the Socialists, the Metroscopia poll published in newspaper El Pais showed. The fall in its popularity has been blamed on austerity measures, corruption scandals and a move to restrict abortion.
It also shows that you can´t take anything for granted because Rajoy won the last general election by a landslide but the popularity of his government has fallen dramatically. I think Rajoy has moved the Patido Popular further to the right with new legislation regarding abortion, his tough-line with Catalan separatists and even his bully boy tactics over Gibraltar. Perhaps this latest opinion poll will make him think again. Now, obviously the Spanish government has had a difficult job trying to get the economy back on track and his austerity measures have not been popular. The electorate wants to finally see the end of the recession and a return to economic growth which Rajoy promised in his manifesto. I would like to see the Prime Minister being more prepared for dialogue rather than confrontation. He has clashed with everyone from trade unions to the Catalan regional government. If he wants to regain his popularity I think he should start listening rather than giving orders especially over abortion otherwise he risks a big surprise at the next election.