Rob Horgan
SNAP regional elections are all but certain to be announced in Andalucia today, following the fallout of the elections in Greece.
Head of the Junta Susana Diaz is expected to call the elections for March 22, with anti-corruption party Podemos currently topping the polls.
And with Syriza’s shock win in Greece it looks as though change may be on the cards for Spain too.
Last Thursday, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias was a guest at one of Syriza’s meetings.
“Change in Greece is called Syriza, change in Spain is called Podemos,” he said. “Hope is coming. Onwards to victory with Syriza-Podemos.”
Since its creation last year, Podemos has taken a leading position in the polls, netting 28% of the vote in a recent survey.
Local elections are due to take place in May with the country’s general elections likely to place in December.
The big question is, what would Podemos do about the so called illegal property situation which plagues Andalucía and continues to strangle the property market, jobs and growth. Does anyone know where Podemos stand on this? Will this election bring about much needed change or will it be more of the same with PSOE in power yet again. PP have come out and said that they will legalise most of the affected properties and change the law but the other parties need to do the same. One thing is for sure, IU will be no loss.
Illegal property is just one of the many faces of corruption in Spain and if Podemos do get elected and if they really are different from other parties, they almost certainly will prioritise action on more important (to the Spanish) forms of corruption.
I don’t think the old Falangists will just standby and let Podemos trample all over their long held gravy trains, after all, Europe looked the other way when Yugoslavia tore itself to pieces with rape camps and mass murder – Srebinica (I lost a few friends there) so why would Brussels act if the Spanish army officer class decided to kick off?
Come at your question from the other side Jane. Do you REALLY think the existing mobs will ever do anything to change the present (beneficial for them) set-up? If you don’t mind, I’ll answer for you.
They definitely won’t. So what is to be lost by giving a chance to a party whose manifesto contains a specific promise to address corruption? That, surely- corruption- is at the heart of all the genuine problems besetting people, not just expats, who have fallen foul of the bulldozer threat.
To paraphrase Kennedy. Ask not what Podemos will do for expats, ask instead what they will do for Spain and justice.
Stefanjo, I take your point and something needs to be done about corruption which is no doubt at the heart of the problem in Andalucía. The demolitions mainly affect expats but they affect Spaniards too. Tourism (both conventional and residential) is a main driver of the economy in the region and a major source of employment. Expats may not be important to politicians but their money is and the jobs that this industry creates are of huge importance. Andalucía cannot survive without inward investment, after all, what else has it got? Without this industry, how are they going to offload all the empty properties and create new jobs and businesses? If these politicians want to rid themselves of this industry, they will need to replace it with something else but what? I think the future of this very lucrative industry, which has enormous potential for expansion, is a key election issue and all the political parties need to lay their cards on the table.
@Jane…..I have listened to the rantings of Podemos and still, I have no idea what they actually stand for, not what their party politics are, nor what their concrete proposals might or would be…..That there needs to be change, especially here in Andalucía, there can be no doubt, but one has to be ‘careful what you wish for’……A fight against corruption is clearly paramount, but by whom and with what qualifications or experience?.
Luke, I agree with you, I am far from convinced by Podemos and they have no way of paying for all their proposed policies and reforms anyway. I think they, along with all the other parties, should be forced to tell the electorate where they stand on the so called illegal property situation in Andalucía and indeed all the other key election issues. The future of Podemos will very much depend on what happens in Greece. The best way to get rid of corruption would be to set up an independent, non-Spanish body who monitor, track and account for all government transactions.
Who would set up your proposed body Jane? The PP? The PSOE? Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas. It couldn’t be imposed from outside, so it’s a non-starter. It’s either more of the same or a leap into the dark with Podemos. The first choice is no choice at all, the second is at least a possibility for useful change. What is there to lose?
Stefanjo, the proposed body would be completely independent with non-Spanish people running it and it would be subjected to random inspections. It might sound radical but drastic action will have to be taken because the Spanish people will not tolerate this level of corruption for much longer and will demand it – the politicians will not have a choice.
Moving to the regional election, I have put in a request for all the political parties to state their intentions regarding the illegal property situation and I will keep everyone posted on here as and when I get more information. All parties must be forced to clearly state their policies on this issue and tell the electorate exactly what they intend to do about it – a non-reply will be taken as a negative. Of course they all need to set out a very clear manifesto on all their policies because this is a very important election. Unfortunately, foreign residents will not be able to vote in this election.