The Case of Podemos: The sunset of the decline left parties in Western Europe?
https://doi.org/10.26907/2079-5912.2021.3.8-13
Abstract
The radical left party Podemos stormed into the Spanish political realm and sparked interest far beyond the country’s borders. Having emerged as a political party in 2014, Podemos was able to earn more than 20 percent of the votes in the general elections already in 2015; previously, it had demonstrated unexpected success in the European Parliament elections. The foundation for Podemos’ achievements, among others, were: the economic and political situation in Spain (the financial crisis followed by the mass protests), its effective processing of other countries’ political experiences (especially, the Latin American countries), and an effective communication strategy coupled by the use of populist discourse, which appealed to the broader population. After winning the elections in 2015-2016, the party’s influence started to diminish. By 2021, we have to admit that Podemos did not occupy those dominant positions that its leaders P. Iglesias and I. Errejon aspired to when the party was founded. The party was weakened, on the one hand, by its centralization, the softening of its political demands, and disagreements between the leaders. In addition, its populist discourse forced Podemos to compete not only with the Social Democrats but also with other political parties.
About the Author
A. V. Kuznetsova
Kazan National Research Technological University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Kuznetsova Alexandra Vilalievna, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, Pedagogy and Psychology
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Review
For citations:
Kuznetsova A.V. The Case of Podemos: The sunset of the decline left parties in Western Europe? The Kazan Socially-Humanitarian Bulletin. 2021;(3 (50)):8-13. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.26907/2079-5912.2021.3.8-13
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