Glossary · R
Rajoy style
Way of doing politics associated with Mariano Rajoy: delaying, low profile, avoiding press conferences, defusing conflicts by waiting them out. Source of countless memes ('sí, sí, sí, no, no, no') and criticism for inaction during the procés.
Judicial recusal
Procedure to remove a judge or magistrate from a case for set causes (kinship, manifest enmity, direct interest). A recurring strategy in political cases to delay decisions.
Regime of '78
Label used by the left and pro-independence forces to refer to the constitutional system that emerged from the Transition and the 1978 Constitution. Critical connotation: a closed two-party elite and an unaccountable monarchy.
Cabinet reshuffle
Replacement of several ministers without calling new elections. Used to reset political cycles, defuse crises or reorient the agenda. Recent example: Iglesias's exit from the executive in March 2021.
Bourbon Restoration
Historical period (1874-1923) opened by the return of Alfonso XII to the throne after the First Republic. Marked by the alternation between liberals and conservatives and the corruption of caciquismo.
Roldán case
1994 scandal: Luis Roldán, the first civilian director of the Civil Guard, fled Spain charged with bribery, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. A symbol of the exhaustion of the Felipe González governments.
Rufianismo
Defiant rhetorical style associated with Gabriel Rufián, ERC's parliamentary spokesperson. Marked by short interventions, viral one-liners and direct clashes with the right in parliament.
Rumasa
Business holding expropriated by Felipe González's government in 1983. A historic case of state intervention in the economy and of legal tensions with the Ruiz-Mateos family.