Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias. Paimages/Francisco Seco. All rights reserved.As Spain prepared for its second general election in six months, all eyes were set on Podemos. Polls suggested that the anti-austerity party led by Pablo Iglesias would surge past the Socialist Party (PSOE), and even come close to beating the ruling centre-right Popular Party (PP). “Victory is at our fingertips,” Podemos’ leaders repeatedly proclaimed.
Exit polls confirmed the so-called sorpasso to PSOE, or overtaking, and gave a potential Podemos-PSOE pact close to an absolute majority. But as election night unfolded, high expectations met reality: an aging Spanish electorate preferred the devil it knows to a progressive gamble.
PP emerged almost without a scratch from its corruption scandals, and achieved a sweeping victory with 33% support. Despite the lower turnout, Mariano Rajoy’s party received over half a million more votes than in December’s inconclusive contest. The Socialist Party came second with 22% support and 100,000 fewer votes. Its meager 85 seats pale in comparison to the 137 obtained by PP. Although it was the worst performance in PSOE’s history, preventing the sorpasso felt almost like a victory.
