On the heels of leftist Syriza’s victory in Greece, Spain’s own left party Podemos garnered outstanding support at a Madrid rally attended by tens of thousands Saturday. Podemos, considered a “close ally” of Syriza, is led by former university professor Pablo Iglesias and espouses an “uncompromising message against austerity and corruption.”

The party first gained traction in last May’s European Union elections and has grown increasingly popular in a country that continues to lose faith in the traditional bipartisan system, which has proved incapable of curbing corruption and responding to the legitimate needs and desires of a suffering Spanish population.

BBC:

Podemos has surged into the lead in recent opinion polls, and says it will seek to write off part of Spain’s debt if it wins elections later this year.

Podemos says politicians should “serve the people, not private interests.” … Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias spelt out the party’s message to the crowd.

“We want change,” he said, quoted by the Associated Press. “I know that governing is difficult but those who have serious dreams can change things.”

Protesters are parading in the same streets that over the past six years have seen many other gatherings against financial crisis cutbacks imposed by successive governments.

Read More.

Here are a few clips from the protests:

—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata

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