Ciudadanos y partidos en el consenso y disenso sobre el Estado de las Autonomías

Abstract

This article analyses what is considered to be the unsolved problem of Spanish democracy,
which is consensus regarding the territorial articulation of the State. It defends the view that the
lack of satisfaction and debate that have arisen regarding the State of Autonomous Communities
do not necessarily come from society or from unsatisfied citizens, but from the attitudes of
political parties and élites. Information gathered from the opinions held by Spaniards, even in
the most «problematical» of autonomous regional communities, show a high or significant
degree of satisfaction with the autonomous regional community system. This article also puts
forward the argument that dissatisfaction is essentially explainable because for the autonomous
regional élites, it is an effective electoral asset and an instrument for perpetuating the huge
political and social power attained in their territories. Added to this main factor is the lack of
sufficient consensus from the two main Spanish parties, PP (conservative) and PSOE (socialist),
regarding the model for territorial articulation in Spain.