4. Election Day and its aftermath: From 11th to 25th September, 1983
The General Elections of September 1983 featured the usual massive turnout (79.97%. in 1981, 77.4% in 1983) that became a trade mark of the Third Spanish Republic and were marked by the inflation rate. In spite of the efforts to control the rise of the prices, by June 1983 a kilo of potatoes was worth 600 pesetas (1) and an egg 200 pesetas. The peseta had sunk again and a dollar, that in July was worth 475 pesetas, in September was worth 997 pesetas.
Thus, the elections of 1983 were known as the ‘inflation election’. The anti-republican parties of the Left and Right received a considerable wave of support as a result of the dire economic situation and a widespread sense of insecurity. The greatest gains were made by the PCE and AP, specially the latter, which profited from a wave of chauvinistic nationalism: the AP made further substantial gains to become the second-largest parliamentary group. The other parties, namely the PDE, the CDS and the reunified PSOE lost ground, as did the ‘pragmatic republicans’ of the right-wing Liberal PPE.
For the third time, the PSOE was the largest party in the Parliament, winning 5,047,905 votes (20.5% of the vote) and 70 of the 350 seats in the Congress (a neat loss of 556,493 votes and 3 seats). Vestrynge's AP became the second political force with 4.777,500 votes, 19.5% and 22 seats (winning 1,528,400 votes and 1 seat). Suárez's CDS won 3,283.379 votes (13.4%) and 57 seats (losing 561,622 votes and 15 seats) while the PCE come close after the CDS with 3,087,280 votes (12.6%) and 34 seats (winning 2,497,806 votes and 25 seats). (2)
This time Tierno Galván was asked by the President Sánchez Albornoz, but he refused with good words. The PSOE's strategy was to have Suárez as prime minister and enduring the pressure and the bad press caused by the bad situation. Thus, Suárez had to form a new government. On the evening of September 13, Suárez was appointed prime minister. By that point, the list of ministers for the new cabinet was mostly completed. This was the fastest formation of a government, as the first cabinet meeting took place within 36 hours after the results of the elections were known.
This new cabinet was based, again, in the grand coalition of PPE, PSOE, CDS and DDP. As the AP was left out, its leader, Vestrynge, erupted in an explosion of anger, claiming that "we are being marginalized again" and nothing could appease him, and he vented his anger towards Suárez that, this time, was the captive of the PSOE. There was no coalition agreement and the government declaration September 14 did not offer a political program. The most pressing tasks for the government were stabilizing the currency, as the resulting collapse of the peseta in the currency markets had led to shortages of foreign currencies to pay for vital food imports.
Suárez was to face this situation with a government where his party was in clear minority, as the most important offices were in either Socialist (Defence -Narcis Serra-, Interior -José Barrionuevo-, Treasury -Carlos Solchaga-, Foreign Affairs -Fernando Morán- , Public Works -Julián Campo Sainz de Rozas- and Agriculture -Carlos Romero Herrera-) or in the PPE's hands (Justice -Pio Cabanillas-). The CDS only controlled Labour (Santiago Rodríguez-Miranda), Industry (Ignacio Bayón) and Culture (Soledad Becerril -3-).
As soon as the world knew that the Socialists were controlling most of the Spanish cabinet, the peseta plummeted and, on September 20th, the change peseta-dollar was fixed at 4,985 to one, and, ten days later, 19,940 pesetas to one dollar. Just due to the herculean work of Morán and the promises of Suárez to both Reagan and Thatcher, the trust in the recover of the Spanish economy began to return and, by September 25, the change peseta-dollar was fixed at 709 pesetas per dollar (4).
The lesson was clear. The PSOE could have most of the ministeries, but Washington, London and Wall Street only trusted Suárez.
(1) IN OTL, the cost of a kilo of potatoes was 20 pesetas.
(2) The results of the other parties:
PDE 1,395,503 votes, 5.7%, 20 seats. (losing 1,807,881 votes and 29 seats)
CiU 788,151 votes, 3.2%, 11 seats. (winning 14,807 votes and losing one seat)
PNV 269,881 votes, 1.1%, 4 seats. (losing 50,371 votes and 1 seats)
PTE 236,659 votes, 1,01%, 3 seats. (winning 18,063 vote)
(3) The first female Government Minister in almost 50 years.
(4) In OTL 1971 the change was 64,47 pesetas per dollar, in 1982 127, and in August 1983 it was 152,5 pesetas per dollar.
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