Since its birth in early 2014, Podemos experienced a dramatic rise in the polls during its first year followed by a significant nose dive throughout 2015. This roller coaster ride—which now seems to be climbing back up again—is due to several possible reasons. The truth probably lies in a combination of factors.
What is undeniable is that the irreverent critique of the Spanish political system that Pablo Iglesias initially became known for struck a chord with a surprisingly large number of Spaniards, much beyond the traditional left. That was the plan precisely. People were sick and tired of so much injustice and corruption that Podemos seemed, without a doubt, a breath of fresh air. Most people I know said they were going to vote for Podemos back then. I remember a publicist friend trying to persuade me that Podemos wasn’t left wing. ‘Of course, it is’, I replied. ‘It’s just that Podemos leaders are very skilful at communicating left-wing ideas in new terms.’ Their language is partly inspired by the 15M and Occupy movements, which framed the conflict as the 99% versus the 1%, rather than left versus right.
The funny thing is, according to recent polls, that most people now consider Podemos to be far left, even further left than Izquierda Unida (‘United Left’), a coalition led by the Spanish Communist Party. So it seems that Podemos’s efforts to be perceived as mainstream are not working out so well.
