Spanish election: the voice of the United Left

Maite Mola from Izquierda Unida

Maite Mola from Izquierda Unida

On Sunday Spain goes to the polls – its second attempt to elect a government in six months. The prospects for the left are hugely increased by a newly united campaign from Izquierda Unida (United Left) and Podemos – together forming Unidos Podemos. Left Unity wishes them every success.

Maite Mola, from the Izquierda Unida leadership and Vice-President of the European Left Party, joined us for a pre-election interview.

LU: What does Izquierda Unida stand for?

We are the left force in the Spanish state, committed to breaking the current system which has led to poverty, inequality, the disappearance of public services, unemployment and millions of people being forced from their homes.

If we confined ourselves to electoral work we would have a few deputies and senators who would denounce the situation, but we would not be a party capable of bringing about the change necessary for our country. We believe it’s time to occupy the streets and institutions. That is our main objective today.

LU: In the last couple of years, the new Podemos party has emerged in Spain. What factors made that happen?

Spain is a country that also suffers from huge levels of corruption. This has largely come from the People’s Party (El Partido Popular, centre-right conservatives) and to a lesser extent from the Socialist Party (PSOE, Social Democrats). This situation has produced a lot of mistrust towards politicians. A new populist option, Podemos, has emerged, unapologetically denouncing all of this. It has abandoned the traditional system of a Left and a Right, and is based – hypothetically – on the representation of the people in the street. This has been received with open arms by the people, eager to find an alternative to what Podemos labelled the old system. The country was prepared to accept any alternative of that type.

LU: We hear about the new unity between Izquierda Unida and Podemos. Why has this come about?

There have been several factors for this, some of these internal to Podemos and IU, and others external.  I will quote the two most important, as I understand it.

After the elections of December 20, in the process of trying to form a government, Podemos saw their popularity eroded, reflected in the opinion polls through a constant reduction in voting intentions. At the same time, IU – with our leader Alberto Garzón being the most valued in all surveys conducted to date – was going up gradually but consistently in voting intentions. This first factor has been  especially important for Podemos, as in December they previously didn’t want to enter into the elections with us they believed that we could take away votes due to our clear left positions, such as maintaining a clear stance of saying NO to NATO  or replacing the Monarchy with a Republic. However their analysis was incorrect.

Externally, after the failure of the 4 major parties, PP, PSOE, PODEMOS and CIUDADANOS to form a government, the population is disenchanted that the end of bipartisanship did not bring about a change and a government with different policies. With the possibility of the union of Podemos, IU, EQUO (Greens), Las Mareas (Galicia), En Comú Podem (Catalonia) and Compromís (Valencia), public opinion improved in a very positive way, and following the formation of this union, the growth in the polls has been constant, having now reached 25% in total.

LU: The Spanish elections are taking place on June 26th. What outcome do you hope for?

The bottom line is, on the one hand, to have a strong number of deputies and senators, to be able to fight – as either the government or in opposition – against the policies of the troika and the Spanish right.  Of these two options, the best option without doubt would be to govern. But to do so would require the Socialist Party (PSOE) to abandon its liberal social ideas and accept an anti-austerity programme that would eliminate Article 135 of the Constitution which states that the first priority is to pay the debt. They would then need to accept the need to create an emergency plan to create jobs and public services, to stop the banks from evicting people from their homes, to invest in equality between men and women … this is not so likely.

LU: How could a Unidos Podemos government bring real change to Spain when we have seen the obstacles that Syriza has faced in Greece, at the hands of European capitalism?

To achieve these changes there are two vital elements: a clear majority supporting an emergency programme, and the streets full of people supporting the government against the attacks that will certainly come from the troika and big business. Being in government does not necessarily mean having the power: that for the moment is in the hands of multinationals supported by conservatives and social liberals. So the people on the streets, supporting their government and preventing blackmail from outside, will be the best and only weapon to keep it going. Without protests on the streets, no leftist government can resist – neither in Europe nor in the rest of the world.

LU: Do you have any message for the left in Britain?

I would say to the whole of the European left that we have to work towards ensuring that the Left wins and is able to form national governments, in order to then change Europe, and have a social Europe, built on Solidarity, Equality and Justice. The model of the nation state does not favour workers: internationalism needs millions of people struggling towards one goal, for which the role of social movements and trade unions is very important. Parties, movements and trade unions on joint platforms are required to fight against TTIP, CETA, wars and inequality. This can change Britain and Europe. Capitalism needs confrontation between countries and their working class. We need this unity, the more extensive the better.

Translation by Kris Fisher

 



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