ABSTRACT
Liberalism is a multifaceted concept. The political development of Western countries is so intertwined with liberalism that their political systems are often referred to as liberal democracies. Among the respondents, liberalism appeared as the third most preferred option, after socialism and conservatism. This chapter shows that the main features of the liberal electorate and disentangles the extent to which they present a distinct political group. It analyses three dimensions that have played a key role in Spanish politics since the 19th century: economic liberalism, political liberalism, and the centre-periphery cleavage. The chapter analyses the extent to which liberal voters’ preferences are represented by the political offer. It provides an overview of the internal organisation of the two new liberal parties. The chapter discusses the future challenges for these parties in terms of the development of their organisational structures, their survival in a highly restrictive electoral system, and their high degree of personalisation.
