Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Madrid on January 31 in a huge 鈥淢arch for Change鈥� to support Spain's new anti-austerity party Podemos.
The party has grown in support after the left-wing, anti-austerity SYRIZA party in Greece won last week's elections. This has brought hope that change could be in the air for other European countries whose debt is being used to justify austerity.
On the demonstration, people chanted 鈥測es we can鈥� and 鈥渢ic tac tic tac鈥� 鈥� suggesting the clock was ticking and time was running out for the political elite.
The march ended in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol where protesters filled the square, in one of the party's first outdoor mass demonstrations and its biggest show of support.
Podemos, Spanish for 鈥淲e can鈥�, says it will seek to write off part of Spain's debt, which has caused unemployment to soar in the country, if it wins regional and national elections this year. The party uses the slogan that politicians should 鈥渟erve the people, not private interests鈥�.
Podemos was formed just over a year ago, but has rapidly risen in popularity, winning five seats in the European Parliament in May last year. A February 4 poll showed it was now more popular than Spain's main opposition party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).
鈥淧eople are fed up with the political class,鈥� said Antonia Fernandez, a 69-year-old pensioner from Madrid who attended the march.
When Podemos announced the march in early December, party leader Pablo Iglesias said: 鈥淭his is not about asking for anything from the government or protesting. It鈥檚 to say that in 2015 there will be a government of the people.
鈥淲e want a historic mobilisation. We want people to be able to tell their children and grandchildren: 鈥業 was at the march on January 31 that launched a new era of political change in Spain.鈥欌€�
The February 4 poll found that if there was an election today, the ruling conservative People's Party would take 27.3% of the vote, followed by Podemos with 23.9%, with the PSOE in third place with 22.2%. On current polling, no party would gain a majority.
Podemos is already Spain鈥檚 second-largest Spanish party by number of members.
[Compiled from .]