Despite his early exit, Pablo Iglesias radically reshaped Spanish politics | Giles Tremlett
The charismatic leftwing founder of Podemos ended Spain’s stale party political duopoly but failed to halt a resurgent right
Seven years after revolutionising Spanish politics by founding Podemos and inspiring imitators around Europe, the unabashed leftwing populist Pablo Iglesias resigned from all his posts on Tuesday night. Does this spell the end of the Podemos dream?
Having stood down as deputy prime minister in order to lead his party into Tuesday’s Madrid regional elections, where Podemos faced a wipeout, Iglesias decided that the results obliged him to go. His party won just 7% of the vote, less than far-right Vox. “It’s the best thing for Podemos now,” he said.