Analysts trying to explain the electoral results and the fact that Albert Rivera got the fourth place, although polls indicated that he would get the second – they believe that this outcome is mainly due to their boldness. Due to their need to speak specifically, without general assumptions and slogans.
Men and women who perpetrate domestic violence, must they be given the same penalties? Do not rush to answer. Ciudadanos did answer. But it seems that they disappointed many women in Spain.
How is Europe supposed to react to ISIS terrorism? Is it supposed to even consider war? We don’t need a specific answer either, since the non-belligerent reflex of young people will oppose to those who will go for a more robust solution?
One last question: Are you in favor of negative taxation? It is a form work subsidy that has been launched in US and Scandinavia. In Greece, this is a rhetoric question. In Spain it has been answered by Ciudadanos. This cost them a lot.
Analysts trying to explain the electoral results and the fact that Albert Rivera got the fourth place, although polls indicated that he would get the second – they believe that this outcome is mainly due to their boldness. Due to their need to speak specifically, without general assumptions and slogans.
These are all “stories” we have recently heard of in Greece too. “Give them slogans, not solutions,” some politics old hands used to urge me, in the pre-electoral period. But, we did not listen to them either.
“Time is passing by and the economy is falling apart,” we warned Mr Tsipras in spring. “Why are you in such a rush?”, he used to reply ironically, cheered on by the majority of public opinion that had believed that good negotiations mean slow negotiations. What we finally did is revealed by Mr Tsipras himself, in Paul Mason’s documentary in Channel 4, aired last week: ““I think we lost time, and at the end, we were out of force and out of money”.
This is his exact confession. Yet, a bit later, banks shut down and Greeks lost “some” billions. But, SYRIZA is now thinking: “Does this all matter anymore? We managed to win the elections with these lies. You finally got your 4%”.
If somebody tells the truth to voters, is he condemned? Does the crisis benefit populists and hurt pragmatists and reformists? «Parece que si» replied Ciudadanos officials, that Sunday night of elections, on the first floor of NH Eurobuilding Hotel. “It seems that it does”. The atmosphere was heavy. They were eating sardines and green salad, having paid their political party voucher, while wondering whether their “political glass” was half full or half empty. “Forty parliamentary seats, out of nowhere, is not something insignificant”. “Yet we wanted 100 seats,” others replied.
That night in Madrid did not disclose anything about the dead-end in the country’s politics. Spain did not have a government yet, but there was some light rainfall after many weeks. PP and PSOE uniform square flags were hanging from posts on major roads. For graspable reasons, Mariano Rajoy had granted most of them to Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría. This strict, but smiling face of the new Spanish Right. Socialist Pedro Sánchez did not share his elections campaign with anyone. Although they said that if he got less than 20% and lost the second position, he would quit leadership. Podemos’ poster, with Iglesias, was hanging on closed stores, bins and walls over the city. Analysts said that this was unheard of.
Ciudadanos did not have any posters. Yet, the hashtag #YoVotoaAlbert was one of the most popular in Europe.
Something confusing about Spain is the colors used by political parties. PSOE socialists have been using red for years. Podemos have chosen a sorrowful purple. The night of the victory, people were inflating a purple balloon. If you didn’t know, you would think that they are Rayo Vallecano’s fans, after they have been defeated by Real Madrid in Bernabeu Stadium. PP has the original light blue. Outside its offices, that Sunday night, people were lighting up cigars. Ciudadanos have chosen orange. In their last pre-elections gathering, in Santa Ana square, everybody was wearing orange scarves, drinking hot chocolate, served by the Movement’s volunteers. Guy Verhofstadt, head of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament, prefaced Albert Rivera, speaking in Spanish for the first time in his life. He said “Our friends from To Potami are also here tonight”, while insisting on me joining the podium, greeting Spanish citizens, along with the leading team of Ciudadanos.
“Venceremos,” I said to him. Although I knew that that this would be very hard to achieve. Because, it is true; the crisis actually benefits populists. Yet, I also knew something else. Ciudadanos, just like To Potami, do not have any other way. Proposals, truth, seriousness, modernity. In fact, all that citizens have to offer.
Stavros Theodorakis, Kathimerini Newspaper
