Podemos stages huge march in Madrid demanding political, economic change

People from across Spain have poured into the streets of Madrid to attend a mass rally staged by the country’s anti-austerity party, Podemos.

The rally, dubbed "March for Change," started at 1100 GMT Saturday with many people chanting slogans against the worsening economic situation and increasing reports of political corruption.

Podemos, a relatively young party which has seen a rapid surge of popularity over the past months, announced the rally in December. The party’s popularity was almost doubled after its ally in Greece, the Syriza, won the general elections last week.

The area in Madrid where the march is going ahead also saw similar protests in 2011 when Spain was at the height of economic crisis with a group called the Indignants filling the squares for weeks and demanding political change.

Spanish government released provisional data Friday showing the country has officially weathered the economic recession. However, Podemos, which means “we can” in Spanish, has hugely capitalized on the prevalent dissatisfaction over economic situation in the country. Party leaders have vowed that they will replicate the success of Syriza in Spain’s general elections, which is slated for November.

"We want a historic mobilization. We want people to be able to tell their children and grandchildren: 'I was at the march on January 31 that launched a new era of political change in Spain'," Podemos leader, Pablo Iglesias, said when he announced the march in early December.

Iglesias was one of the main allies of Syriza leader, Alexis Tsipras, appearing alongside him in Athens on January 25. He hopes that Syriza’s success could significantly boost Podemos’ popular support in Spain.

Anti-austerity parties closing ranks

Podemos has other allies across Europe which can help the party to victory in November. Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of France's Left Party, was also expected to attend the Saturday march.

The party’s main theme of action is to counter the controversial austerity measures imposed by the European Union. Podemos has also vowed to prevent big companies from firing their workers, to establish a health system which is fully controlled by the state and uphold the minimum-wage hike.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, however, has warned people not be deceived by Podemos’ “fake” pledges. This comes as many blame Rajoy for the surge in popularity of far-left parties, saying that under his rule, the unemployment rate has jumped, workers have increasingly been hired based on low-paid short-term contracts and salaries have significantly dropped.

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