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118-573: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero ( Spanish: [xoseˈlwis roˈðɾiɣeθ θapaˈteɾo] ; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he would not stand for re-election in the 2011 general election and left office on 21 December 2011. Among

236-686: A captain in the Spanish Republican Army ; he was executed by Francisco Franco 's Nationalist forces a month into the Spanish Civil War , for refusing to fight with them. His whereabouts were revealed by fascists in Valladolid. His maternal grandfather, Faustino Valentín Zapatero Ballesteros ( Valladolid , 14 February 1899 – 1978), was a paediatrician and middle class liberal. His maternal grandmother María de la Natividad Valero y Asensio ( Zamora , 9 December 1902 – Valladolid, 28 June 2006)

354-524: A federal one competing against one another. The later years of the Francoist dictatorship saw a period in which the PSOE defended the right to "self-determination of the peoples of Spain", as a reflection of a newer ideological and a pragmatist approach of the party. Ultimately, the party, while sticking to their preference for a federal system, gradually ceased to mention the notion of self-determination during

472-569: A "left turn" in the PSOE political program for the General Election of October 1982. González answered advising him to abandon his conservative (traditional for PSOE [leftist]) viewpoint. In 1986, he was elected to represent the province of León in the Cortes (Parliament), becoming its youngest member after the election held on 20 June. He was number two on the PSOE list for León . In the following elections (those held in 1989, 1993, 1996 and 2000) he

590-615: A Francoist prison in 1940. Julián Zugazagoitia , government minister in 1937–1938, was captured in exile by the Gestapo , handed over to Spain and executed in 1940. The party was legalised again only in 1977 during the Spanish transition to democracy . Disputes between the followers of Indalecio Prieto (who had exiled to Mexico) and Juan Negrín over the political strategy of the Republican government in exile soon arose. Negrín, whose 1937–1939 spell at

708-625: A People's Party government, caused a faction within the party critical of Sánchez to gain momentum, led by President of Andalusia Susana Díaz . On 28 September 2016, the Secretary of Federal Policy Antonio Pradas went to the party's headquarters and presented the en bloc resignation of 17 members of the Federal Executive and the demands of those who resigned for the party to be run by an interim manager and to pressure Sánchez to resign as secretary-general. The Executive later lost two more members in

826-536: A divergence emerge among the corporatist which was personified by Francisco Largo Caballero , who began to endorse the rapport with bourgeois republicans; and Julián Besteiro, who continued to show great distrust towards them. Besteiro's refusal to participate in the Revolutionary Committee led to his resignation as president both of the party and the trade union in February 1931. He was replaced as president of

944-514: A few months into the Spanish Civil War (which lasted until 1939), a cabinet presided over by Largo Caballero was formed (he also held the functions of Minister of War). In November, Largo Caballero succeeded in bringing some CNT members into his government. The left socialist caballeristas were revolutionary in rhetoric, although in reality they proposed moderate reformist policies while in government. The May Days of 1937 in Barcelona destabilised

1062-407: A general pragmatist approach) formed in 1935 while Besteiro's hold on the party diminished significantly. Followers of Indalecio Prieto would ultimately become "estranged from the party left". The PSOE formed part of the broad left-wing Popular Front electoral coalition that stood for election in the 1936 Spanish general election and achieved a victory in seats over the right. In September 1936,

1180-531: A nationwide general strike for 5 October which developed into a full-blown insurrection (the Revolution of 1934 ) in the mining region of Asturias which was vocally supported by socialists such as Largo Caballero and Prieto. After the end of the revolt, whose repression was entrusted to generals Francisco Franco and Manuel Goded , most PSOE and UGT leaders were jailed. A growing rift between Prieto and Largo Caballero (with disparate views of politics, albeit sharing

1298-526: A new General-Secretary. That night, it was reported that an interim manager would be chosen, later confirmed to be the President of Asturias Javier Fernández Fernández . Sánchez announced his intention to run for General-Secretary of the party as did Susana Díaz (one of the leaders of the anti-Sánchez faction of the party) and Patxi López , former President of the Basque Autonomous Community . At

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1416-547: A new faction within the party called Nueva Vía (New Way) in April 2000, to serve him as a platform to become Secretary General. The name of Nueva Vía was a mix of Tony Blair 's Third Way ( tercera vía in Spanish) and Gerhard Schröder 's Neue Mitte ( new center or nuevo centro in Spanish). On 25 June 2000 Zapatero officially announced his intention to run for the federal Secretaryship General at an Extraordinary Conference of

1534-595: A period of negotiations, the party formed a pact with the Initiative for Catalonia Greens , the Republican Left of Catalonia and the United and Alternative Left , governing Catalonia until 2010. In the 2004 Spanish general election , the PSOE won with almost 43% of the votes following the 11M terrorist (11 March) attacks. It was alleged by PP that the PSOE, with the help of the national newspaper El País , did not observe

1652-413: A position he held until May 1996. Although the party had opposed NATO , most party leaders supported keeping Spain inside the organisation after reaching the government. The González administration organised a referendum on the question in 1986, calling for a favourable vote, and won. The administration was criticised for avoiding the official names of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and NATO , using

1770-562: A real radicalization of the society took (and is taking) place . Zapatero's supporters blame his opponents for that and the People's Party blames him stating facts such as the increase in the acts of violence committed against them, especially in the months before and during the war in Iraq . As a result, a new term has become popular: guerracivilismo (made up of a combination of the Spanish for Civil War and

1888-693: A reflection of how the exiles remembered the last events of the Civil War (which featured bitter strifes with the communists) and in line with the stance of other parties of the Socialist International during the Cold War , neglecting any kind of rapprochement with the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). The relative void left in Spain by the PSOE, with a Toulouse-based direction lacking in dynamism and innovation,

2006-435: A result, after being appointed Secretary General, he coined the term Calm Opposition ( Oposición Tranquila ) to refer to his opposition strategy. The Calm Opposition was supposedly based on an "open to dialogue", "soft", "constructive" attitude ( talante constructivo , coined as talante ) aimed not at damaging the government but at achieving the "best" for the people. (Zapatero has insisted on this point so many times that

2124-572: A stronger left-wing ideology whereas the second was more pragmatic. The division became wider after the General Election of 1993, the last election won by the PSOE before José María Aznar 's victory in 1996, when the bad results exacerbated the internal conflicts. Zapatero never formally joined either of those two groups. In 1993, the Socialist Federation of León (FSL – Federación Socialista de León) suffered an important scandal. Some towns experienced unusually sharp increases in PSOE membership in

2242-462: A teaching assistant by the University of León and in his keeping the job until 1991. The suspicions of political favoritism were due to his having been directly appointed without a prior selection process open to other candidates. On 20 May 1994, he held a press conference where he rejected these accusations. Zapatero attributed to "ignorance" or "bad faith" the content of the articles and linked them to

2360-456: A university student and a teaching assistant, Zapatero did not fulfill the compulsory military service. As an MP he was finally exempted. Zapatero attended his first political rally, organized by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in Gijón in 1976. Some political parties had been legal since 21 July 1976, but the PSOE was not legalized until February 1977. The speech of Felipe González ,

2478-509: A very important significance for him. He further explained that the Spanish left needed to modernize and that "we are finding it difficult to accept the need for the Socialist Party to change many of its ideological parameters and overcome our own conservatism". In 1988 he became Secretary General in León after a complex internal fight for power that ended a long period of division. In fact, before

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2596-506: A very short period of time. When some of the supposed new members were questioned by the press, they stated that they were unaware of their membership and that they did not live in the places where they were being registered by the party. It seems that some opponents of Zapatero in León, perhaps with the support of powerful Guerristas at the top of the Spanish Socialist Party wanted to increase their influence within it by increasing

2714-404: Is a social-democratic political party in Spain . The PSOE has been in government longer than any other political party in modern democratic Spain: from 1982 to 1996 under Felipe González , 2004 to 2011 under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , and since 2018 under Pedro Sánchez . The PSOE was founded in 1879, making it the oldest party currently active in Spain. The PSOE played a key role during

2832-403: Is essential.) Bono was deeply disliked by the guerristas , who also favoured Zapatero. Zapatero finally won by a relatively small margin (he obtained 414 votes out of 995 and José Bono obtained 405) on 22 July 2000. The margin was relatively small because Bono had no likelihood of winning since the supporters of the other two candidates preferred Zapatero as their second choice. Zapatero accepted

2950-473: Is found in 1843, when it was created the Normal School for Teachers or Masters Seminar of Public Instruction and the subaltern school of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1852, laying the foundations of Leon future university. Founded in 1979 as a splitting of the University of Oviedo , from the various schools and colleges that depend on that, more or less existed long ago in the city of Leon . In recent years

3068-616: The -ismo suffix , equivalent to the English "-ism"), which would refer to the growing enmity of right and left-wing factions. Zapatero's criticisms of the government were very active from the beginning, blaming the government for its inability to control the rise in the price of fossil fuel and asking for a reduction in the corresponding taxes. In 2000, the British nuclear submarine HMS  Tireless arrived at Gibraltar harbour to have its nuclear reactor repaired. Aznar affirmed that there

3186-522: The Basque Country on 13 May 2001. The socialists received 17.8% of the vote (against 17.6% in the previous 1998 elections) but lost one seat. Both, the Socialist Party and the People's Party had formed an alliance against the then ruling nationalist Basque political movements but the latter won again. The results were considered a failure. Nicolás Redondo Terreros , the Basque Socialist leader during

3304-458: The Communist Party as it was the only party really organized before Francisco Franco 's death in 1975. But, after the famous political rally in Gijón, they, and especially Zapatero, started to believe that the Socialist Party was the most probable future for the Spanish left . At that time the Socialist Party was rebuilding its infrastructure in the province of León after having been outlawed following

3422-544: The Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) and Teruel Existe (TE) voted in favor of the government, with PP, Vox, Cs, Together for Catalonia (JxCat), the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), NA+, CC, PRC and FAC voting against while ERC and EH Bildu both abstained. On 2021, PSOE started a podcast called Donde hay partido . The PSOE was founded with the purpose of representing and defending the interests of

3540-453: The November 1933 general election which marked a win for the centre-right forces in a climate of increasing polarization and growing unemployment, along with a desire to make amends for the mistake of not having sided with the republicans in the election against the united right, Largo Caballero adopted a revolutionary rhetoric, calling for violent revolution and a transitionary dictatorship of

3658-519: The November 2019 Spanish general election , the PSOE lost only three members of parliament and 0.7% of the popular vote in the election, but the PP and VOX gained 23 and 28 seats respectively, further worsening the deadlock. As of 23 December, there was still no government in place, although members of PSOE, PSC and UP have voted overwhelmingly to join in a coalition government, agreed to by Sánchez and UP Secretary-General Pablo Iglesias Turrión . On 5 January 2020,

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3776-602: The Puerta del Sol at the centre of Madrid . Iglesias was a typesetter who had previously come in contact with the Spanish section of the International Workingmen's Association and with Paul Lafargue . The first program of the new political party was passed in an assembly of 40 people on 20 July of that same year. The bulk of the growth of the PSOE and its affiliated trade union, the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT)

3894-532: The Second Spanish Republic , being part of the coalition government from 1931 to 1933 and 1936 to 1939, when the republic was defeated in the Spanish Civil War . The party was then banned under the Francoist dictatorship and its members and leaders were persecuted or exiled; the ban was only lifted in 1977 in the transition to democracy . Historically Marxist , it abandoned the ideology in 1979. Like most mainstream Spanish political organizations since

4012-547: The Spanish Civil War . In 1977, the year of the first democratic elections after Franco's death, Zapatero supported both the Communist and Socialist parties. He pasted posters of both parties. He eventually joined the PSOE on 23 February 1979. The impression Felipe González had caused on him in 1976 played a fundamental role in his decision to join the party. In 1979, during the Congreso Extraordinario del PSOE (1979) ,

4130-400: The Spanish transition to democracy . Ideas in support of to the independence of the autonomous territories of Catalonia , the Basque Country and Galicia , have been adopted by some elements of the party, while the others in the PSOE are heavily critical of said notions, because, as they see it, the principle of territorial equality among the autonomous communities would be under threat if

4248-585: The Statute of Catalonia . José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was born in Valladolid , Castile and León, to Juan Rodríguez y García-Lozano (born 1928), a lawyer, and María de la Purificación Zapatero Valero ( Tordehumos , Valladolid , 1927 – Madrid , 30 October 2000). He grew up in León , where his family originated. His paternal grandfather, Juan Rodríguez y Lozano (28 July 1893 – Puente Castro , León , 18 August 1936), had been

4366-489: The Supreme Being . In the sixth, Zapatero's grandfather asked his family to clear his name in the future as his creed consisted only in his "love for peace, for good and for improving the living conditions of the lower classes". According to an Israeli newspaper, Maariv , by Zapatero's own statement: "My family, named Zapatero, is of Jewish descent", probably from a family of Marranos . He is an agnostic. He studied law at

4484-472: The University of León , graduating in 1982. His performance as a student was above average before his pre-University year. According to his brother Juan: "He didn't study much but it made no difference, he continued successfully". After graduating, Zapatero worked as a teaching assistant in constitutional law at the University of León until 1986 (he continued working some hours a week without pay until 1991). It

4602-629: The autonomous communities of Andalusia , Asturias , Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura . In 2000, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was elected as the new Secretary-General , reforming the party. Later, the PSOE won the 2003 Spanish local elections . The PSOE strongly opposed the Iraq War which was supported by the Aznar government . In the 2003 Catalan regional election , the PSOE's Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) increased its vote total, but ended up in second place after Convergence and Union . After

4720-513: The en bloc resignation, bringing the total number of resignations to 19. Resigning executives included the president of the party Micaela Navarro , the former Minister Carme Chacón , the President of Valencia Ximo Puig and the President of Castilla–La Mancha Emiliano García-Page . This launched the 2016 PSOE crisis . On the afternoon of 1 October 2016, after holding a tense Federal Committee meeting, Sánchez resigned as party General-Secretary, forcing an extraordinary party congress to choose

4838-603: The means of production . The ideology of the PSOE has evolved throughout the 20th century according to relevant historical events and the evolution of Spanish society. In 1979, the party abandoned its definitive Marxist thesis at the hands of its Secretary-General Felipe González , not before overcoming great tensions and two party congresses, the first of which preferred to maintain Marxism. Before this situation, notable internal leaders such as Pablo Castellano  [ es ] and Luis Gómez Llorente  [ es ] founded

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4956-480: The proletariat formed during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. In its beginnings, the PSOE's main objective was the defense of worker's rights and the achievement of the ideals of socialism , emerging from contemporary philosophy and Marxist politics, by securing political power for the working class and establish a dictatorship of the proletariat in order to achieve social ownership of

5074-472: The "reflection journey" which forbade political parties from trying to sway public opinion (forbidden by Spanish law), calling the opposing political party "assassins" and blaming the terrorist attack on them. The PSOE maintained their lead in the 2004 European Parliament election . In 2005, the PSOE called for a yes vote on the European Constitution . The PSOE also favoured the negotiations between

5192-600: The 2015 regional elections. The PSOE finished first in terms of votes and seats in every region except for Cantabria , where the Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) finished first and the PSOE third behind the PP; and Navarra , where the conservative regionalist NA+ finished first and the Socialist Party of Navarre finished second. PSOE governments were re-elected in Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura , with

5310-542: The 39th federal congress in June 2017, Díaz received 48.3% of endorsements, outpacing both Sánchez (43.0% of endorsements) and López (8.7% of endorsements), but Sánchez won an absolute majority of the party's popular vote at 50.3% (Díaz received 39.9% and López 9.8%). Both Díaz and López withdrew before the delegate vote, returning Sánchez as the General-Secretary and ending the crisis. Sánchez won every region of Spain except for

5428-647: The Communist International, namely the Spanish Communist Party in 1920 and the Spanish Communist Workers' Party in 1921, broke away from the PSOE and soon merged to create the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). The PSOE was a member of the Labour and Socialist International between 1923 and 1940. After the death of Pablo Iglesias in 1925, Julián Besteiro replaced him as president of both

5546-685: The ERC, the PDeCAT and En Marea withdrew their support of Sánchez's government by voting against and helping defeat the 2019 General State Budget and Sánchez called an early election for 28 April 2019. The April 2019 Spanish general election resulted in victory for the PSOE, with the party winning 123 seats on 28.7% of the vote in the Cortes and an absolute majority of 139 in the Senate, gains of 38 and 79 seats respectively. The PSOE also finished eight percentage points ahead of

5664-579: The PCE, leading more aggressively among a larger representation of underground parties since the last free popular vote during the Civil War on Republican territory). Their standing was further boosted in 1978 when the Popular Socialist Party agreed to merge into the PSOE. At the 27th party congress in May 1979, González resigned because the party would not abandon its Marxist character. In September of that year,

5782-511: The PP which finished second in both seats and in the popular vote. At election night, party supporters demanded Sánchez to reject any coalition with Cs. On the same day as the April 2019 general election, the 2019 Valencian regional election resulted in the Valencian branch of the PSOE being re-elected in coalition with the Valencianist party Compromís and UP. On 26 May 2019, the PSOE became

5900-455: The PSOE and the UGT. During the 1923–1930 dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera , corporatist PSOE and UGT elements were willing to engage in limited collaboration with the regime, against the political stance defended by other socialists such as Indalecio Prieto and Fernando de los Ríos , who instead advocated a closer collaboration with republican forces. The last years of the dictatorship saw

6018-443: The PSOE by José María Cruz Novillo . In the 1978 Spanish constitutional referendum , the PSOE supported the Spanish constitution which was approved. In the 1979 Spanish general election , the PSOE gained 30.5% of the vote and 121 seats, remaining the main opposition party. In the 1982 Spanish general election , the PSOE was victorious with 48.1% of the vote (10,127,392 total). González became Prime Minister of Spain on 2 December,

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6136-408: The PSOE had renounced Marxism as its ideological base. He said nothing about joining the party at home, because he was afraid his parents would discourage him, considering him too young to join a political party. In 1982, Zapatero became head of the socialist youth organization in the province of León . In July 1982, he met Felipe González at the summer school "Jaime Vera" and suggested that he make

6254-546: The PSOE leader and future Prime Minister of Spain , who took part in the rally, exerted an important influence on Zapatero. He said, among other things, that "the Socialists' goal was the seizure of power by the working class to transform the ownership of the means of production " and that "the PSOE was a revolutionary party but not revolutionarist or aventurist [...], as it defended the use of elections to come to power". Zapatero and his family had been traditionally attracted to

6372-465: The PSOE, even calling for general strikes against the PSOE governments on 14 December 1988, 28 May 1992, 27 January 1994 and 29 September 2010, jointly with the Workers' Commissions , another major trade union in Spain. Both the trade unions and the left have often criticised the economic policies of the PSOE for their economically liberal nature. They have denounced policies including deregulation and

6490-483: The PSOE–UP government failed its first investiture vote, with 166 votes in favor and 165 opposed with 18 abstentions and one UP parliamentarian absent, therefore the government fell short of an absolute majority. On 7 January, the investiture motion, this time requiring only a simple majority , passed with 167 votes in favour and 165 against. PSOE, UP, En Comú Podem , Grupo Común da Esquerda , PNV, Más País , Compromís, NCa,

6608-640: The Rajoy government. The PP voted against the proposal, joined by Citizens (C's), the Navarrese People's Union (UPN) and the Asturias Forum (FAC). The Canarian Coalition (CC) abstained. Following the successful motion of no confidence, Sánchez became prime minister on 2 June 2018 in a minority government. In December 2018, the PSOE's branch in Andalusia was defeated in the 2018 Andalusian regional election for

6726-477: The Socialist Party of León. Pasqual Maragall was the only regional leader of the Socialist Party who officially supported him before the Conference was held. Josep Borrell also decided to support him. Zapatero ran against three other opponents ( José Bono , Rosa Díez and Matilde Fernández ). Matilde Fernández was the candidate of the guerristas while José Bono was the candidate of the reformers . Rosa Díez

6844-512: The South East of Spain, one of the richest agricultural regions in the world. The scheme had received support from, among others, 80% of the affected farmers and the Socialist regional governments of regions such as Extremadura , Andalusia or Castilla-La Mancha . Some Socialist politicians also supported it when they were members of the former Socialist government back in the 90s (e.g. José Borrell ,

6962-556: The Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. They were made equal to those of the professional military. The initiative was defended by him in the name of the Parliamentary Socialist Group, proponent of the amendment. On 12 March 2000, the PSOE had lost its second successive election to José María Aznar's People's Party . Zapatero held his seat, but the Socialist Party obtained only 125 seats, 16 fewer than in 1996. The defeat

7080-490: The UGT took a leading role in the general strike of August 1917 in the context of the events leading to the Spanish crisis of 1917 during the conservative government of Eduardo Dato . The strike was crushed by the army as a result of further undermining of the constitutional order. The members of the organizing committee ( Julián Besteiro , Francisco Largo Caballero , Daniel Anguiano and Andrés Saborit ) were accused of sedition and sentenced to life imprisonment . Sent to

7198-527: The Zapatero platform. This victory caused huge internal divisions and weakened the party's external image. In 2013, the PSOE held a political conference which introduced a completely new platform, widely seen as a move to the left in an attempt to regain votes from parties such as the United Left , whose popularity rose steadily due to the general discontent with the two-party system and spending cuts. That platform

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7316-494: The affected parties (the proponents of the scheme answered back that there was no risk of a serious environmental damage and that in 2003, 14 times more water reached the sea than what was needed annually). The scheme, finally approved by the Government, was canceled by Zapatero soon after becoming prime minister. Zapatero was the main proponent of the "Pacto de las Libertades contra el Terrorismo" ("Anti Terrorist Freedom pact) which

7434-415: The autonomous territories became independent . Bold indicates best result to date.   To be decided   Present in legislature (in opposition)   Junior coalition partner   Senior coalition partner The Secretary General is the head of the party as well as its parliamentary chair. Informational notes Citations University of Le%C3%B3n The university

7552-640: The cancellation of a run-off between himself and Bono because he was sure of his victory after only one ballot and he apparently did not want to humiliate his adversary. After becoming Secretary General, he was congratulated by the French PM Lionel Jospin , by the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and by José María Aznar. He moved to Madrid with his family that year. As a Congressman he had lived from Monday to Thursday in Madrid and

7670-432: The current leader of the European Spanish Socialist Group and former president of the European Parliament. The scheme was mainly opposed by Zapatero, environmentalist groups, the Socialist regional government of Aragon and some of the citizens of the areas from which water was to be transferred. The main criticisms of the scheme were the supposed damage to the environment and an argued real lack of sufficient water for all of

7788-576: The election who was strongly opposed to Basque nationalism and to ETA , resigned after some internal clashes, resigning his seat in the Basque parliament and in the Federal Executive. He was replaced by Patxi López , elected on 24 March 2002. López had actively supported Zapatero during his campaign to become Secretary General. Spanish Socialist Workers%27 Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( Spanish : Partido Socialista Obrero Español [paɾˈtiðo soθjaˈlista oˈβɾeɾo espaˈɲol] ; abbr. PSOE [peˈsoe] )

7906-400: The electrical protocol proposed by the government (initially negative for the important coal sector of León), being the PSOE spokesman in the Commission of Public Administration and probably his most important success as an MP: the passing of an amendment to the national budget of 2000 in November 1999 that increased the pensions of the non-professional soldiers who fought for the Republic during

8024-412: The extraordinary 28th congress was called in which González was re-elected when the party agreed to move away from Marxism. Western European social-democratic parties supported González's stand and the Social Democratic Party of Germany granted them money. PSOE party symbol was changed from the anvil with the book to the social democratic fist and rose created in the French Socialist Party , redrawn for

8142-446: The first time since the restoration of democracy, with a centre-right coalition of PP, C's and the resurgent right-wing nationalists Vox taking power in the region. For most of his first term as prime minister, Sánchez relied on support from the UP and the NC to get his agenda passed, occasionally being forced into negotiating with the Catalan separatist parties the ERC and the PDeCAT and the PNV on individual issues. In February 2019,

8260-435: The government and the ETA during the 2006 cease-fire which had a de facto end with the Madrid–Barajas Airport terrorist attack . In the 2008 Spanish general election , the PSOE won again, with Zapatero remaining prime minister. The PSOE increased their share of seats in the Congress of Deputies from 164 to 169 after the latest election. After waning popularity throughout their second term, mainly due to their handling of

8378-429: The government in wartime was seen negatively by large elements of both caballerista and prietista extraction, had become vilified. The party was re-organized along new lines in 1944 in the 1st Congress in Exile that took place in Toulouse and in which Rodolfo Llopis became the party's new secretary-general. The PSOE congresses in exile during the post-war period were marked by strong anti-communist positions as

8496-600: The government which was replaced by a new cabinet led by Juan Negrín , another socialist. With the PSOE reduced to clandestinity during the Francoist dictatorship , its members were persecuted, with many leaders, members and supporters being imprisoned or exiled and even executed. Prime Minister Negrín fled to France in March 1939 after the final collapse of the Republican front and his fall from office. The aging and ill Julián Besteiro, who preferred to stay in Spain over exile, died in

8614-552: The home regions of López and Díaz. In mid-2018, the National Court found that the conservative People's Party profited from the illegal kickbacks-for-contracts scheme of the Gürtel case , confirming the existence of an illegal accounting and financing structure that ran in parallel with the party's official one since 1989 and that sentenced that the PP helped to establish "a genuine and effective system of institutional corruption through

8732-414: The ideas of republican political philosopher Philip Pettit . In an interview with El Mundo , Zapatero linked civic republicanism's focus on civic virtue to tolerance of individual autonomy and expanding political participation. During Zapatero's years as an opposition leader (and later as prime minister), the tension between left-wing and right-wing supporters increased and, according to some opinions,

8850-461: The increase in precarious and temporary work , cuts in unemployment and retirement benefits, and the privatisation of big state-owned organisations and public services . The PSOE has traditionally attracted a higher share of female voters than its rivals. Same-sex marriage and adoption were legalised in 2005 under the Zapatero Government and, more recently, a transgender rights bill

8968-501: The insurrectionary drift of the militancy. The formation of a new cabinet that included CEDA ministers in October 1934 was perceived among the left as a reaction , with the CEDA party being indistinguishable from contemporary fascism to most workers while CEDA leader Gil-Robles had advocated the establishment of a corporative state already in the 1933 electoral campaign. The UGT called for

9086-444: The internal faction of Left Socialists which included the militants who would not renounce Marxism. This allowed for the consolidation of the leftist forces in the PSOE. From this moment, the diverse events both outside and within the party led to projects that resembled those of other European social-democratic parties and acceptance of the defence of the market economy. The democratic socialist faction has been especially critical of

9204-511: The internal fight for the job of Secretary General of the Regional Chapter. In 1994, three regional conferences were held: All of them were finally won by Zapatero or his supporters. The National Conference (held after most of the representatives elected in the first León Conference were Zapatero's supporters) was won by the reformers , at that time strongly opposed to the Guerristas . That

9322-518: The largest Spanish party in the European Parliament following the 2019 European Parliament election . The PSOE gained six seats to bring their total to 20 and won all but eight provinces in the country. 26 May also saw regional elections for every region in the country except Valencia, Catalonia, Andalusia, the Basque Country and Galicia. In every region, the PSOE gained seats and votes from

9440-417: The left in 2017, party leader Pedro Sánchez stood for a refoundation of social democracy in order to transition to a post-capitalist society and end neoliberal capitalism as well as for the indissoluble link between social democracy and Europe. During the Second Spanish Republic , the structure of the state was still open within the party, with two differing views, namely a centralist view as well as

9558-500: The main actions taken by the Zapatero administration were the withdrawal of Spanish troops from the Iraq war , the increase of Spanish troops in Afghanistan ; the idea of an Alliance of Civilizations ; the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Spain ; reform of abortion law ; a peace negotiation attempt with ETA ; the end of ETA terrorism; increase of tobacco restrictions; and the reform of various autonomous statutes , particularly

9676-574: The manipulation of central, autonomous and local public procurement". The PSOE Parliamentary Group in the Congress of Deputies filed a motion of no confidence against the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy , presenting Sánchez as alternative candidate. The PSOE's motion passed with the support of Unidos Podemos (UP), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT), Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Coalició Compromís , EH Bildu and New Canaries (NCa), bringing down

9794-418: The mayoralty of León and two seats in the regional parliament of Castilla-León. The results were influenced by the bad economic situation and the cases of corruption assailing the party. Zapatero had personally directed the electoral campaign. In 1996, after the General Election, Zapatero kept his seat at the Congress of Deputies. The following year, Zapatero was again elected Secretary General of León and after

9912-458: The mid–1980s, the PSOE has been considered by experts to have embraced a positive outlook towards European integration . The PSOE has historically had strong ties with the General Union of Workers (UGT), a major Spanish trade union. For a couple of decades, UGT membership was a requirement for PSOE membership. However, since the 1980s the UGT has frequently criticised the economic policies of

10030-602: The national conference held by the party that year he entered the National Executive (the party's governing body). The Association of Parliamentary Journalists awarded to Zapatero the "Diputado Revelación" prize (something like Most promising MP of the year ) in December 1999 for his activities as a member of the Congress of Deputies . From 1996 until 2000, his most conspicuous contributions as an MP were his vigorous opposition to

10148-649: The number of members in the towns of León favorable to them. Their main aim would have been to take control of the Regional Socialist Section of Castilla y León in the conference to be held in 1994. Zapatero's support for the then Regional Secretary General, Jesús Quijano transformed him into the enemy of the Guerristas in the region as the FSL is the most important Provincial Section. In May 1994 two papers, El País and Diario de León , published several articles that suggested irregularities in his appointment as

10266-456: The opposition were the proposed reforms affecting the education system. The People's Party first introduced the so-called LOU, a law to change the university system, and later the LOCE ( Organic Act for Education Quality ), which affected secondary education. Zapatero strongly opposed both. The People's Party used its absolute majority in the Cortes to pass its reforms. A regional election was held in

10384-522: The parliament, their lowest total since the restoration of democracy and the fewest since the 1933 in Republican Spain left the party with 59 seats in the 473-member parliament. With the exception of the 2015 Andalusian regional election , elections held during the early leadership of Sánchez were losses for the PSOE. In addition, the policy of pacts conducted by Sánchez after the 2016 general election, based on Sánchez's outright refusal to facilitate

10502-478: The party by Remigio Cabello . After the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic on 14 April 1931, three PSOE members were included in the cabinet of the provisional government , namely Indalecio Prieto (Finance), Fernando de los Ríos (Education) and Francisco Largo Caballero (Labour). The socialist presence remained in the rest of cabinets of the Social-Azañist Biennium (1931–1933). After

10620-548: The party receiving an absolute majority of seats in both regions. The party took over the Presidency of the Canary Islands with the support of New Canaries and Podemos , ending 26 years of Canarian Coalition government. On the same date, the PSOE became the largest party in the municipalities following the local elections . Following months of political deadlock, Sánchez called a second general election in seven months. In

10738-495: The party's Third Way move to the centre starting in the 1980s for its economic liberal nature, denouncing the policies of deregulation , cuts in social benefits, and privatisations . The PSOE defines itself as social democratic, left-wing and progressive . It is grouped with other self-styled socialists, social democrats and labour parties in the Party of European Socialists , and supports pro-Europeanism . During his shift to

10856-466: The prison of Cartagena , they were released a year later after being elected to the Cortes in the 1918 Spanish general election . During the 1919−1921 crisis of the socialist internationals, the party experienced tensions between the members endorsing the Socialist International and the advocates for joining the Communist International . Two consecutive splits of dissidents willing to join

10974-446: The proletariat . Indalecio Prieto had also participated in the increasingly aggressive rhetoric, having already condemned the heavy-hand repression of the December 1933 largely anarchist uprising by the government, that has been cheered on by the CEDA leaders on parliament. The Socialist Youth of Spain (JSE) also engaged into a shrilling revolutionary rhetoric while Besteiro firmly opposed

11092-456: The provincial conference held that year, Ramón Rubial , then national president of the PSOE, had asked the party in León to foster unity. Zapatero was elected as Secretary General at that conference, leading to a period of stability. In the 1980s and 1990s, the PSOE consisted of two factions: the Guerristas (supporters of Alfonso Guerra , former vice-president under Felipe González) and the reformers (led by Felipe González). The first group had

11210-462: The rest of the time in León. This was the period when Zapatero was appointed as Secretary General of the PSOE in 2000 until he became Prime Minister of Spain on 14 April 2004. Zapatero has always claimed to base his political activity on his love of dialogue. When he was an opposition leader, he liked to contrast his behaviour with the "arrogant", "authoritarian" approach of the People's Party and, especially, that of its leader José María Aznar. As

11328-423: The restoration of democracy. Together with the fall of the People's Party which won 27% of votes, it meant the end of the two-party system in Spain in favor of new parties. The PSOE alone lost 943 councilors. The 2015 Spanish general election produced a hung parliament broken into four major parties. Due to the large increase of parties such as Podemos (left) and Citizens (centre-right), the PSOE got about 20% of

11446-521: The term talante has become very popular in Spain.) Because of this supposed tactic, Zapatero received nicknames like Bambi or Sosoman (where Soso , meaning "dull, insipid, bore", replaces Super in Superman ), especially in the first months after being appointed General Secretary. After his election to the leadership of the PSOE, Zapatero spoke about the influence of the political philosophy of civic republicanism on him in general, and in particular

11564-600: The university has signed important cooperation agreements, among which the one signed with the University of Washington , which has allowed the installation in Leon of the second European Headquarters this university to learn Spanish, with capacity for 500 students, and signed with the Xiangtan University , which has led to the establishment in the city of Confucius Institute . The University of Leon has eight Faculties, six Schools and two private associated Schools. It also has

11682-653: The unofficial Atlantic Alliance terms. A symbol of this U-turn is Javier Solana who campaigned against NATO but ended up years later as its Secretary General. The PSOE supported the United States in the Gulf War (1991). PSOE won the 1986, 1989 and 1993 general elections. Under the Gonzalez administration, public expenditure on education, health, and pensions rose in total by 4.1 points of the country's GDP between 1982 and 1992. Economic crisis and state terrorism ( GAL ) against

11800-411: The violent separatist group ETA eroded the popularity of González. In the 1996 Spanish general election , the PSOE lost to the conservative People's Party (PP) (PP). Between 1996 and 2001, the PSOE weathered a crisis, with Gonzalez resigning in 1997. The PSOE suffered a heavy defeat in the 2000 Spanish general election , with 34.7% of the popular vote. However, the PSOE remained as the ruling party in

11918-422: The vote, its worst result since democracy was restored. The parliament was so fragmented that no government could be formed and six months later new elections were held. The 2016 Spanish general election resulted in the PSOE losing a further five seats despite gaining 0.6% of the vote (still the party's second-worst popular vote total after 2015 since the restoration of democracy), leaving the party with 85 seats in

12036-496: The war. Llopis led a schism to form the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (historic) . González showed intentions to move the party away from its Marxist and socialist background, turning the PSOE into a social-democratic party, similar to those of the rest of western Europe. In 1977, the PSOE became the unofficial opposition leading party with 29.2% of the vote and 118 seats in the Cortes Generales (which until then it had been

12154-477: The worsening economic climate in Spain in the aftermath of the 2007–2008 financial crisis , the PSOE was defeated in the 2011 Spanish general election by the conservative People's Party. Shortly after, an extraordinary congress was held in which Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba , former Deputy to Zapatero and Minister of the Interior, was elected Secretary-General defeating Carme Chacón , the other candidate, who stood for

12272-436: Was a Basque politician who was a kind of intermediate option at the time. Zapatero was a dark horse who had against him his inexperience and in favour his image of reform and being the only MP among the candidates. (All the Spanish opposition leaders had been MPs before winning the elections. A very important factor in Spanish politics where electoral campaigns last for only 15 days and to be widely known long before they begin

12390-685: Was a conservative and died at age 103. Zapatero was born in Valladolid not only because of his mother's attachment to her family, who lived there, but also because of the medical profession of her father. Zapatero has said that, as a youngster, "as I remember it, I used to participate in late night conversations with my father and brother about politics, law or literature". However, he did not get along very well with his father at times. Sources say that his father refused to let him work or take any part in his law firm, and this scarred him for life. He says that his family taught him to be tolerant, thoughtful, prudent and austere. The memory of Zapatero's grandfather

12508-587: Was already defined by 1972. The 25th party congress was held in Toulouse in August 1972. In 1974, Felipe González was elected Secretary-General at the 26th party congress in Suresnes , replacing Llopis. González was from the reform wing of the party and his victory signaled a defeat for the historic and veteran wing of the party. The direction of the PSOE shifted from the exiles to the young people in Spain who had not fought

12626-415: Was also kept alive by a last will , handwritten 24 hours before facing the firing squad, and which can be considered a final declaration of principles. The will comprised six parts, the first three bestowing his possessions on his heirs; the fourth, in which he asked for a civil burial and, the fifth, in which he requested his family to forgive those who had tried and executed him and proclaiming his belief in

12744-452: Was chiefly restricted to the Madrid - Biscay - Asturias triangle up until the 1910s. The obtaining of a seat at the Congress by Pablo Iglesias at the 1910 Spanish general election in which the PSOE candidates presented within the broad Republican–Socialist Conjunction became a development of great symbolical transcendence and gave the party more publicity at the national level. The PSOE and

12862-404: Was convoked. This party congress was the first to use a primary election system with three candidates, namely Pedro Sánchez , Eduardo Madina and José Antonio Pérez Tapias . Sánchez was elected with 49% of the vote of the affiliates and therefore became Secretary-General on 27 July 2014. In the 2015 Spanish municipal elections , the PSOE won 25% of the vote, one of its worst results since

12980-425: Was especially bitter as the People's Party unexpectedly obtained an absolute majority for the first time and the socialist result was worse than in the previous election. Almunia announced his resignation on the very day the General Election took place. Zapatero decided to run for the leadership of the Socialist Party in its 35th Conference to be held in June that year. Together with other socialist members, he founded

13098-607: Was filled by the PCE and other new clandestine organizations such as the Agrupación Socialista Universitaria (ASU), the Popular Liberation Front (FELIPE) or later the Enrique Tierno Galván 's Socialist Party of the Interior . The Toulouse executive board became increasingly detached from the party in Spain in the 1960s an insurmountable chasm between the former and the party in the interior

13216-502: Was no risk for the population but Zapatero criticized him for his inability to force the British government to take the submarine to another harbour. After almost one year, the Tireless was repaired and left Gibraltar without having caused any known problems. Another point of friction came from the scheme to transfer water from the River Ebro to other areas, especially the irrigated areas in

13334-403: Was number one on the list. In the elections of 2004 he ran for Madrid as number one. Zapatero defined himself as a "left-wing conservative" at the time. He explained that he meant that, for sentimental reasons linked to his family, he came from the left that lost the Spanish Civil War and that what had happened between 1936 and 1939 (the duration of the war) and 1939–1975 ( Franco 's regime) had

13452-639: Was passed to allow more freedom in regards to gender identity. The PSOE is a member of the Party of European Socialists , Progressive Alliance and the Socialist International . The PSOE's 21 Members of the European Parliament sit in the Socialists and Democrats European parliamentary group . The PSOE was founded by Pablo Iglesias on 2 May 1879 in the Casa Labra tavern in Tetuán Street near

13570-465: Was positive for Zapatero as the list of bogus party members was revised again. Their number grew from 577 to almost 900. Zapatero was finally reelected secretary general with 68% of the ballots in the 7th Regional Conference held in July 1994, following the removal of the false memberships. In 1995, new regional and local elections were held. The results were bad for the PSOE in León as they lost four seats in

13688-465: Was signed on 8 December 2000. At the end of the year, the Mad Cow disease came back into the spotlight after its outbreak in 1996. Zapatero repeatedly criticized the Government's management of the crisis arguing that it was out of control. As of March 2005, the disease had caused dozens of deaths all over Europe, though none in Spain. In 2001 one of the biggest points of friction between the government and

13806-560: Was subsequently found that he had been appointed by his department without the usual selection process involving interviews and competitive examinations, which if true, constitutes a case of political favouritism. He has declared that the only activity that attracts him besides politics is teaching or, at most, academic research. Rodríguez Zapatero met Sonsoles Espinosa in León in 1981. They married on 27 January 1990 and have two daughters named Laura (b. 1993) and Alba (b. 1995). Having received successive deferments because of his conditions as

13924-513: Was the basis for the 2014 European Parliament election manifesto, promoted as a solid alternative to the conservative plan for Europe. The expectations inside the party which chose Elena Valenciano as their election candidate were optimistic, but the PSOE suffered another defeat due to the appearance of new parties such as Podemos which managed to gain the support of left-wing voters, with PSOE winning 14 seats. Shortly thereafter, Rubalcaba resigned as Secretary-General and an Extraordinary Congress

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