Turning the Page: Crisis and Transformation of the Spanish Socialist Party

During the past decade the Partido Socialista Obrero Espaiiol (PSOE) has gone from government to opposition and, more recendy, back into office after the 2004 general elections. When the PSOE lost the general elections in 1996, after having been in government since 1982, it faced the major challenges of relaunching the party organization and undertaking a process of leadership and programme renewal in order to regain political credibility, and eventually to return to power.