Next December 20 general elections will take place in Spain and all political parties are in the middle of the election campaign. According to surveys this appointment with polls will be very different to the traditional ones. The classical political bipartisanship between People’s Party (currently in power) and Spanish Workers Socialist Party (PSOE), that have ruled the nation since 1978, when democracy was established, has been totally knocked down by two new parties: Podemos (“We can”) and Ciudadanos (“Citizens”). Nonetheless, as polls indicate, People’s Party still would keep its first position, but it would has far fewer seats than in 2011 and in any case it would be enough to permit it governing solitary. Down below we go over the four candidates, their parties and their main proposals.
Mariano Rajoy (PP)
He is the current president and has a very long political career. During the last four years, Rajoy’s government has tried to combat economic crisis and unemployment, two main problems which have been blighting the nation since 2008. He has been repeatedly accused of undertake too many austerity measures, but according to results, economy its his best chance. He has already announced that his government is cutting taxes like IRPF (income taxes) if he wins. He has also said that he is expecting to create 500.000 new jobs every year until 2019. According to all surveys PP is going to take the first place in the race for Moncloa, but it will in no way able to govern alone.
The best: he represents stability and experience.
The worst: too many cases of corruption in his party.
Pedro Sanchez (PSOE)
After won primary elections inside his own party in 2014, Sanchez became on leader of the PSOE , before long bad results obtained by PSOE in the European elections. Since then he has not been able to manage situations and prevent the vote blood-letting caused by the new parties. In the last local elections, that have been celebrated this same year, its party obtained a poor results with almost 700.000 fewer votes than in 2011. This could be his last chance to achieve good results. Socialist leader has uploaded to his website a document with his main five proposals: “Repealing labour reform”, “a big deal for education an science”, “a minimum vital income to eradicate child poverty, “a national agreement to combat violence against women” and “a constitutional reform”.
Best: his program acts for dialogue and a new federal conception of the nation.
Worst: with rise of new parties, PSOE seems to have lost their place.
Albert Rivera (Cidadanos)
His party, together with Podemos, have changed the historical Spanish political statu quo. Citizens party was initially conceived as a Catalan civilian platform whose members wanted to make things happen. That was in 2005. Since then, his party has experienced an unstoppable growth not only in Catalonia, but even in the rest of the Peninsula Iberica. In the European Parliament election of 2014 his party obtained two seats, with just 500.ooo votes. This year, in the municipal elections its group was the great surprise obtaining almost 1.500.000 votes and positioning as the third force. That’s why many think that Citizens could be even the second force on next elections. Despite being Catalan, Rivera has always defended unity of the nation and he describes his party as social democratic and liberal-progressive. Among his proposals are a complementary salary for lower incomes, a fight against corruption and fraud, the depoliticising of justice or a new administrative national organisation.
Best: he represents one new generation that want “level headed” changes
Worst: most part of their party partners are unknown for the people.
Pablo Iglesias (Podemos)
In his figure is represented the change and the fight against the “caste”, word frequently used among members of his party to talk about traditional groups. Iglesias has worked as lecturer of political science at UCM Univeristy, and he became famous after several television appearances in different Spanish media such as La Sexta, Cuatro, 24h, or 13TV. Combining his work as lecturer, with his labour as political commentator in television, he decided (along with other university mates) to create a new party, Podemos, in 2014 and standing for 2014 European elections, in which they obtained 5 MEP’s and 1.200.000 votes. Despite his party has been accused of left-wing populism, Iglesias define it as “transversal”. Their financing is based on crowd-funding. Podemos have taken some innovative initiatives such as designing a transparency organization trough people can see what they do with every single euro they receive. Among his promises are: guaranteed income, removing of revolving doors, guaranteeing the right to housing or a general taxes cutting to the poorest classes.
Best: his party has revolutionized the traditional Spanish politics.
Worst: some of his ideas are often criticised as populists.
Photos by: PP Cantabria, FSA-PSOE, Contando Estrelas, Xixón Sí Puede.