Lost in the East

Today is the day when all Spaniards (or at least those who are worthy of being called that) go to vote for a new president. It is a very important date, not only because of what it represents, but also because this time elections are particularly tough: so much has happened, and so many problems have got worse in Spain, that Spanish political life has become very tense...

This morning I learnt, shocked, that just two days before this very important day there was yet another terrorist attack, with the killing of one person, by ETA, the band that has been a nightmare for the Spanish people for years and years already. And what's more, the attack has had the impact that the band wanted: both major parties are saying their pieces, and they're trying to see how they can get a political benefit from this. The victim was a member of the Socialist Party after all, so in some way the Socialist Party could get benefits from this, by presenting themselves as the victims, and trying to attract as much votes as possible. However, the Popular Party (the conservatives) may want to wave again before the eyes of Zapatero the errors of the Socialist Party in their fight against terrorism, and so make people turn from the socialists to the conservatives.

I refuse to believe that now, since the terrorist attacks of 3-11 in Madrid's Atocha train station four years ago, all elections will follow this pattern, and I don't want to read about terrorist attacks on the newspaper every time there are elections in my country. I want to believe that Spain is a big nation, and that it has a democratic political system founded on the base of an educated and virtuous population. However, I feel more and more skeptical about it. I feel sad and nervous, furious and disappointed at the same time. It seems that ETA has already found out a way to disturb normal elections and get optimum results for itself.

I can only wait to see today's results... I already cast my vote, after receiving the ballots by mail last week, and nothing else can be done now. I'm a bit nervous, but I can't do anything else about it: just waiting. Now I just hope that everything goes according to plan and with total normality, and that this terrorist attack doesn't influence the results of the elections.