Spain’s empty middle flexes its political muscles

“IHAVE FOUR children,” says Blanca over a midday glass of wine with olives. “None of them lives here.” There are 156 residents registered in Casarejos, down almost half from 25 years ago. Locals differ on how many children live in the village, but all use just one hand to count them.Blanca is complaining to Laura Gil, a candidate for Soria Ya (“Soria Now”) in the regional elections in Castile and León, scheduled for February 13th. Soria Ya is a new party that will compete only in Soria, one of the region’s nine provinces. Allied groups will run in other provinces, too, unified loosely under the banner of España Vaciada, or “Emptied Spain”.