Glossary · E
Statistical tie
Electoral or polling result in which the gap between two options falls within the survey's margin of error. Recurring in the polls preceding Spanish general elections since 2019.
España Vaciada (Empty Spain)
Civic and political movement claiming attention for the depopulated interior provinces. It crystallized in platforms such as Teruel Existe, with parliamentary representation since 2019.
Spirit of '78
The idea of the cross-cutting consensus that produced the 1978 Constitution among reformist Francoism, Christian democracy, socialism and moderate nationalisms. Contested from various angles: the left sees it as an incomplete pact, the independentist movement as an imposed clause.
Autonomous State (Spain)
Spain's territorial model under the 1978 Constitution: 17 Autonomous Communities plus 2 autonomous cities with their own competences and self-government, within the unity of the nation.
Welfare state
Model of society with universal public services (healthcare, education, pensions). In Spain its construction is associated with PSOE governments in the 1980s; its sustainability is a permanent debate.
ETA
Basque terrorist group (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) active between 1959 and 2018. It killed more than 850 people in its struggle for the independence of the Basque Country. Its dissolution and the role of the abertzale left remain central debates.
Far right
Label used by media and politicians of the left to identify Vox; those targeted reject the term and prefer 'alternative right' or 'patriotic right'. Its use is contested and often reflects the speaker's position.