In Germany, there is growing concern about the political crisis in Spain and the inability of the country's political establishment to engage in dialogue. Munich's Süddeutsche Zeitung, considered the second most important newspaper in the country, has lamented the difficult political climate in the Spanish capital, at a time when it faces the imminent arrival of a major economic crisis that will require European aid.
According to the Munich daily, Spain is a "deeply politically divided" state. "It seems impossible to have a constructive debate on the future of the country. The government and the opposition are arguing relentlessly, as happened in Congress on Wednesday," it adds. It is a situation that is not occuring in any other EU state.
The newspaper declares that the Spanish political crisis is deadlocked, and without any prospect of a solution. "The opposition accuses Pedro Sánchez of acting like a dictator. The [right-wing] PP and far-right party Vox have put themselves at the forefront of those protesting against the coronavirus lockdown measures. A typical example of this discussion is the controversy centred on the International Women's Day demonstration that took place on March 8th in Madrid, which the right sees as the key event that propagated the virus." The left counters by saying that the PP and Vox want to discredit feminism. Meanwhile, the Civil Guard is investigating how the demonstration may have taken place," writes the newspaper.
All this is happening at a time when, according to Süddeutsche, the Spanish economy "is close to collapse". "The [GDP] is expected to fall by 10%. Three million people were unemployed at the beginning of the year, hundreds of thousands more have lost their jobs due to coronavirus, and more than three million have been temporarily laid off. Spanish debt could increase to 130% of GDP," says the paper, noting that billions of euros of the state budget have already been spent on measures needed to combat the virus.
The newspaper insists that an essential economic element for Spain is tourism, but this will not be able to be activated until July 1st, although it remains to be seen under what conditions tourists will be able to travel. It also points out that the European Commission does not trust Spanish deputy PM, and left-wing Podemos leader, Pablo Iglesias.