As jobless numbers swell in a Spain sinking
into a deepening recession, the opposition could be expected to have a heyday
lambasting the government, dpa reported.
Instead, however, the main opposition conservative People's Party (PP) is
getting bogged down with a mysterious internal spying scandal apparently linked
to a ruthless power struggle.
The party that governed Spain from 1996 to 2004 under prime minister Jose Maria
Aznar has become increasingly divided after new leader Mariano Rajoy lost two
successive elections to Socialist Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the current
prime minister.
Rajoy's weakened position has set the stage for what is widely seen as a
ferocious power struggle between two Madrid politicians vying to step into his
shoes: Madrid regional Prime Minister Esperanza Aguirre and mayor Alberto
Ruiz-Gallardon.
"Iron lady" Aguirre is one of the top party hawks, while Ruiz-
Gallardon belongs to the moderate camp, and is regarded as something of an
outsider within the party.
Both politicians have won successive elections with flying colours, and both
can see themselves as the next prime minister.
The long-running rivalry was uncovered once again when the daily El Pais began
reporting on strange happenings allegedly occurring in Madrid.
Aguirre's regional Interior Minister Francisco Granados had created a secret
intelligence service comprising former police officers, who spied on officials
and politicians, the daily claimed.
Those who had allegedly been spied on included Ruiz-Gallardon's deputy and one
of Aguirre's own senior officials, whom she sacked shortly afterwards for being
too close to Rajoy.
Spies allegedly followed and photographed their targets, taking detailed notes
on their movements and meetings, some of which were reproduced by El Pais.
On one occasion, the spies even stole a computer containing documents from an
office.
The espionage reportedly occurred in 2008 at the time of a covert struggle
between Aguirre and Ruiz-Gallardon to succeed Rajoy, who later reinforced his
position and was re-elected PP leader at a party congress.
The spies may have been trying to find out who was allied with whom, and to
uncover financial irregularities or other wrongdoing that could be used against
political rivals, analysts have suggested.
The regional government had no authority to create an intelligence service or a
"parapolice force," let alone with taxpayers' money, El Pais said in
an editorial.
Ruiz-Gallardon made it clear he did not doubt the veracity of the El Pais
report, while Aguirre and Granados denied any knowledge of espionage within the
regional government.
The affair had meanwhile become even more confusing, as it came out that
Aguirre's deputy Ignacio Gonzalez had also been spied on during trips to Colombia and South Africa.
Had Ruiz-Gallardon also created a parapolice force to spy on rivals, as the
daily El Mundo and Aguirre indirectly suggested?
Had Aguirre's officials spied on rivals within their own camp?
Or was it all just a battle between corrupt PP clans trying to obtain
public contracts for companies they were linked with, as El Mundo suggested on
Wednesday?
A PP spokesman even tried to implicate the Zapatero government, which was quick
to deny any involvement.
Prosecutors and a judge are now investigating the spying allegations, which
Rajoy described as "very serious" when finally speaking out several
days after the scandal broke.
Rajoy appointed PP spokeswoman Dolores de Cospedal to carry out an
internal investigation within the party, and at least some heads are expected
to roll.
When that happens, "we will know which part of the elite has won,"
political science professor Antonio Diaz Fernandez wrote.
Whoever the winner is, however, the scandal has undoubtedly undermined the
credibility of the PP at a time when two key regional elections are coming up
on March 1.
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