With only a few months of existence, the new Spanish political party Podemos received more than one million votes in the last European elections. This resulted in five seats in the European Parliament. Regeneration of democracy and alternatives to the EU austerity measures are central themes in the party´s political programme which, - as well as the selection of its candidates - was organised online with the participation of tens of thousands of citizens.
In contrast to what happened in other European countries, the Podemos phenomenon prevented that in Spain the frustration and discontent resulting from the EU austerity policies led to a raise of the support to far-right parties. A recent survey showed that Podemos does not only canalize the frustration but that it is close to being the second political force in Spain, with serious possibilities to govern the country in the short term. What are the causes of this political phenomenon? Which implications does it have for European politics? Is it possible to imagine a similar development in the Netherlands?
We will discuss this and other questions with Pablo Echenique (Member of the European Parliament from Podemos), Hilary Wainwright (TNI fellow and Research Director of the New Politics program) and Justus Uitermark (Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam and the Gradus Hendriks Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam).
Free entrance. We suggest a contribution of 5 Euros to cover the costs of the event.
Language: English with translation to Spanish available.
Coffee and tea will be served from 15.30.
Organized by Podemos Países Bajos