Democratisation, elections and the press: Some notes from Spain

Intellectuals from countries that have experienced a recent transition from dictatorship to democracy tend to stay alert to all the political shifts and signs that may indicate that the democracy is already a consolidated reality in the country. The comments on these slight signs that show the stability of the democracy are normally the result of the comparison of this democracy with those democracies that are considered to be exemplary. When trying to show that the democracy in Spain is a stable reality, it is also common to take into account the political crises that this concrete country has faced successfully, that is, those occasions on which democracy was put at risk but were solved by reinforcing the democratic system.