Podemos Political Party: Thousands Gather to Show Support for Leftist Party Aiming to Break Spain's Two-Party System
Tens of thousands of politically motivated Spaniards marched through Madrid on Saturday to display their solidarity with a young radical leftist party.
In the upcoming election, its aspirations are to have a success similar to Greece's Syriza party, according to the Associated Press.
On Saturday, supporters of the party Podemos ("We Can") gathered from across Spain to converge onto Cibeles fountain before filling up the avenue that leads to Puerta del Sol square.
No official attendance figures were provided, but according to the police there were 100,000 people present. Podemos said the number was closer to 300,000, RTVE reports.
The nascent party Podemos has an explicit goal: They are trying to destroy the country's predominantly two-party system.
Many see the leftist party's momentum as tied to the motivating speeches given by its leader, Pablo Iglesias, a 36-year-old political science professor who has written articles for publications such as Público and Diagonal and, in 2003, started a TV program called La Tuerka.
Iglesias inspired the crowd by saying, "We want change," according to The Telegreaph. He also underlined it would be hard but possible to get what they wanted.
"I know that governing is difficult, but those who have serious dreams can change things," he added.
Members of the Podemos party have every right to feel they are on a winning path. In about a year, they have gone from being the political dream of a small number of university professors and activists to a bona fide political party with real traction.
According to the BBC, Spanish opinion polls show the party could possibly take the No.1 spot in upcoming elections.
If this happened, it would initiate the biggest political shake-up in Spain since democracy was restored in 1978 after decades of dictatorship under Francisco Franco.
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