Myths, possibilities and realities of Spanish electoral reform

Abstract

One of the reasons why the present Spanish democracy is criticized consists, in many people’s view, of the defects that are attributed to the electoral law currently in force. The fact that it does not permit equal representation and that the small nationalist parties carry a completely excessive weight in Spanish politics, is the claim that is most often heard in this regard. In this way, the author examines in this article the origins and the development of electoral regulations, proposing some reforms, but with the warning that secondary aspects of electoral law can be reformed easily, but it is impossible to do so in its fundamental core.