Home » » Podemos to hold Madrid mass rally

Podemos to hold Madrid mass rally

Written By blogger on Saturday, January 31, 2015 | 12:34 AM

The far-left Spanish party, Podemos, is to hold a mass rally in the centre of Madrid looking to build on the recent victory of Syriza in Greece.

The party has surged into the lead in recent opinion polls, and says it will seek to write off part of Spain's debt if it wins elections later this year.

"Hope is born," Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said after the Greek result.

Podemos leaflets ahead of the rally call for politics to "serve the people, not private interests".

It hopes to attract tens of thousands of supporters to the capital in the "March for Change" demonstration - one of the first outdoor mass rallies it has organised.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias (26 January 2015) Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias says that Spain economic woes are because of 'a corrupt minority which has committed the biggest plundering in Spain's recent history"
Podemos supporters cheer Pablo Iglesias at a party meeting in Valencia (25 January 2015) By threatening to break up Spain's long-established two-party system, Podemos has provided both with a common adversary

Protesters will parade in the same streets that have seen many other gatherings against financial crisis cutbacks imposed by successive governments over the last six years.

Correspondents say that many Spaniards are enraged over reports of political corruption and public spending cuts implemented by the governing People's Party and before that by the Socialists.

The two big traditional parties have described the party - less than a year old - as populist.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned Spaniards not to "play Russian roulette" by supporting the newcomer, which he said "promises the moon and the sun" but cannot deliver them.

Left-wing and right-wing media have criticised Podemos, accusing it of having ties with Venezuela's left wing leaders and alleging financial misconduct by some of its senior members.

The party's leaders have in response promised to publish their tax returns, with Mr Iglesias remaining defiant.

"In the face of their hatred, we smile," is one of his regular pronouncements, according to the AFP news agency.

Spain has now officially come out of recession but nearly one in four workers remains unemployed.

Last year was the first time there has been full-year economic growth in the country since 2008, when a property bubble burst, putting millions of people out of work and pushing the country to the brink of a bail-out.


Podemos to hold Madrid mass rally

IFTTT

Put the internet to work for you.

Delete or edit this Recipe

0 comments:

Post a Comment