WP: Voters Want Honesty (re: Spain--may need registration)

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A64804-2004Mar16?language=printer

Voters Want Honesty

By David Bach

Wednesday, March 17, 2004; Page A25


MADRID -- Did voters punish Spain's conservative government for its resolute fight against terrorism? Did they opt for a candidate who opposed the war in Iraq because they see the bombings as a direct consequence of Spain's presence there? Are we to conclude that the terrorists are achieving their goal of breaking up the international coalition that has committed to fight terrorism?

I don't think so. The resolute stance of Jose Maria Aznar and his government against the Basque terrorist group ETA had been a principal source of support for his Popular Party. And despite the opposition of almost 90 percent of Spaniards to the war in Iraq, Aznar's handpicked successor, Mariano Rajoy, was almost certain to win Sunday's elections.

What drove voters to the opposition and turned the election around was, quite simply, the government's information policy in the aftermath of Thursday's train bombings, and the appearance that it was manipulating information to benefit the governing party's electoral prospects.

(snip)

On Saturday, in response to growing doubts about ETA's responsibility, and with elections looming, demonstrators in many Spanish cities, who had marched 11 million strong against terrorism the previous day, took to the streets again, this time demanding transparency, full information and an unbiased investigation. The feeling began to take hold that the government was seeking to influence the elections by presenting a particular version of what had happened.

(snip)

The writer is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of California at Berkeley. He lives in Madrid.

© 2004 The Washington Post Company

[NV1962]

1. hammer, nail, head: bang!

Couldn't agree more with the last paragraph of the article.

Glad this appeared in the WaPo.