Suárez had thrived within the system which had trained him, Franco's corrupt movimiento. Now he had to deal with a diverse party and the sniping of disgruntled army officers and Basque terrorists. Although his reform was ample for the conservative middle classes, the wider hunger for change went unsatisfied. Popular enthusiasm soon turned to popular disenchantment. Moreover, his authoritarian treatment of UCD deputies led to the resentment that eventually broke the party.
Suárez also started the federalisation of the Spanish state. The elections in Catalonia had been won by the left, and the new assembly of Catalan parliamentarians was lobbying for autonomy. To avoid dealing with a Socialist president, Joan Reventòs, Suárez negotiated with Josep Tarradellas, the president in exile.
Although Suárez continued to show his gift for backroom negotiation, his virtual withdrawal (partly impelled by a chronic dental condition) gave Spanish people the impression of
desgobierno – of being ungoverned. Terrorism and military conspiracy introduced an element of fear into everyday life. Suárez was giving out an impression of apathy by his seeming reluctance to communicate with party, parliament or people. When in May 1980 the Socialist leader Felipe González presented a devastating censure motion, Suárez did not even reply.
For all his achievements in creating the institutional framework of a democratic Spain – elections, a constitution and regional autonomy – Suárez left many Spanish people with the impression that little had changed since Franco. His charm and negotiating skills were lost in the parliamentary arena and he had few solutions to economic recession and terrorism. Hostility within his party grew after a series of disastrous electoral setbacks in Andalucía, the Basque country and Catalonia. His popularity in the polls was plummeting and he became the hermit of the Moncloa palace.
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