Spain on verge of becoming new Greece: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Isaac Bijio, a political commentator from London, to get his take on the result of regional and municipal elections in Spain.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: First of all, I like to get your opinion on what these results actually mean for political landscape of Spain, when Indignados and even the Podemos make such victories?

Bijio: Well, first of all, the ruling People’s Party which is a right-wing party, won the election but with lack of a very big victory, because they lost three million votes. They lost one third of their previous electors and between them and the Socialist Party which they have only half of the electorates, they used to be 85 percent, 90 percent of the votes were for the right-wing people party and for the Socialist Party, but now both parties have only half of their electorate.G In everywhere, the People’s Party lost absolute majority except in the colonies of Ceuta and Melilla I see this defeat for the government as well as the defeat of the official opposition. The hope is growing, one is for the process around Podemos, the Indignado or what you call them. I see now they are going to win in Barcelona and in Madrid, the two main cities, even in Barcelona they are wining against the Catalan Republican Left and the Nationalist Catalan government, and in Madrid perhaps they have to lose in both with the People’s Party, but if they do a coalition with this socialist party, they can win.

Press TV: Do you see the gains have been made here by parties like the Podemos is going to be part of a bigger wave in Europe of anti-austerity parties coming to power?

Bijio: I don’t know if Podemos is going to win the election at the end of the year. But what I can say is that Podemos is going to be between one of the two main places. It might win the elections. These elections show that the Podemos is growing. The three traditional parties unite. The Left Socialist Party and the People’s Party are going down. So, it is Podemos the party that has profited the most in this election.   

Press TV: If your are saying that these parties are not going to really come to power, however, how do you see the People’s Party right now interpreting these results its losses in these elections? Are we going to see a change in policy or change in their game plan?

Bijio: Well, I see that it’s very difficult for the People’s Party to change direction at this stage. The economy is a serious crisis, there is a lot of corruption and the party is highly discredited. I have my doubt that the People’s Party could be reelected at the end of this year. One possible scenario is should be a coalition within the Socialist Party and Podemos. But perhaps Spain is going to be the new Greece. So, we are going to have perhaps in Spain a kind of Syriza government led by Palermo, one sees this possibility.

ABN/NN

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