‘Podemos’ Sweeps in Spanish Administrative Elections

As expected, the anti-austerity Podemos movement has swept the local elections yesterday in Spain. They did not make it to become the first party (that has to do with the conduct of the mainstream media, which did everything to slander the party during the campaign), but they annihilated the Socialists and forced the conservative Popular Party out of many local governments.

The PP is still the first party, but it has no absolute majority anywhere and therefore it lost many cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, and many regions; it lost the majority in six out of 13 regions and only retained it in four regions.

The Socialist Party (PSOE) signaled yesterday that they are ready to enter a coalition with Podemos.

In Madrid, the “Ahora Madrid” slate, which included Podemos and other groups, got 20 seats out of 57, whereas the PP got 21 seats. Ahora Madrid’s leading candidate Manuela Carmena, a former prosecutor, will ask for support from the PSOE, which got 10 seats. In Barcelona, Podemos is the first party. It is not clear whether they will ask support from the PSOE or from the independents.

A source in Barcelona said that it was clear yesterday, from statements of Socialist leaders after the vote, that the PSOE is ready to form coalitions with Podemos. “It is not easy to know what is going to happen with Podemos,” the source said, meaning what programs they will implement.