There is a significant minority within the Spanish state that opposes democracy as a system of government. According to a CIS barometer published this Thursday, 18.5% of Spaniards do not believe that this regime is preferable. For 8.6%, an authoritarian regime is preferable "in some circumstances," and for 9.9%, it is indifferent between the two. Vox voters in particular are those who deviate from the consensus regarding a democratic regime: only 59.7% prefer democracy, while 30.3% defend authoritarianism.

"As long as military service doesn't return..." resigns a woman reading a newspaper in a café. European rearmament is now dominating political debate, and security is the main concern of governments. "It's not that this is the current debate. It's the most important debate of the generations alive today," commented a senior Spanish diplomat at a recent meeting, where the question of whether compulsory military service could return to Spain also arose. This issue is not on the table in most southern European countries, but the situation is very different in the Nordic, Baltic, and Eastern European states, which for geographical and historical reasons feel closer to the threat posed by the expansionism of Vladimir Putin's regime. Without going any further, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced last week that his government is planning "large-scale" military training for "all adult males" in the country. "Even if they don't join the army, they will be full-fledged soldiers in the event of a conflict," said the leader in a speech to the Polish Parliament.