Transformation of the party-political system of Spain in the post-crisis period (2014—2019)

Abstract

The author considers the transformation of the party system in Spain as a process that consists of several phases that differ from each other in the quantity and quality of socio-political divisions, goals and strategies of political parties. The author relies on data from electoral statistics, sociological surveys, quantitative indicators of party systems and analysis of factual material. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the periodization of the transformation process and the calculation of quantitative indicators based on the results of the parliamentary elections. At the first stage, the emergence and success of new parties is seen as a response to a protracted economic crisis, a crisis of representation, and also as a reaction to the inconsistency of the party system with the more complex structure of society. The second stage is characterized by centripetal tendencies designed to reduce the atomization of the existing system. Separately, there is Catalonia, which has not yet been able to move to the second stage due to conflicts that are tearing society apart. The author comes to the conclusion that the process of change will continue until the system takes a sustainable and stable form.