Read more: Ciudadanos: what drives Spain's new liberal insurgency?
Spanish elections have traditionally been a two-horse race between the Socialist Party and the People's Party, which currently leads the country under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Then, the financial crisis led to political upheaval as new parties surged across Europe. This time last year, all eyes were on Podemos, the left-wing Spanish party led by the charismatic academic Pablo Iglesias, which was widely regarded as among the most successful and exciting of the political upstarts.
But at tomorrow’s national elections, it is another young party that is likely to have a bigger impact. Ciudadanos currently has no seats in the national parliament but could be the country's second biggest party by vote share after tomorrow's elections. Here's what you need to know.
The party is generally considered centre-right due to its business-friendly policies and advocacy of lower taxes, but it also wants to invest more in healthcare and education and has proposed socially liberal policies such as the legalisation of prostitution. Rivera is from Barcelona but is against Catalan independence, one of the biggest issues on the political agenda at the moment. Despite that, Ciudadanos received the biggest share of the vote of any single party in the Catalan regional elections in September—a taste, perhaps, of what's to come—although it lost out to the pro-independence coalition group “Together for Yes”.
With the vote being split among more parties than in the past, analysts predict that no single party will win an absolute majority of seats, perhaps leading to Spain's first coalition government since the fall of Franco. If that happens, Ciudadanos will be a key player in negotiations. Dominating the centre ground and taking votes from both the right-wing People's Party and the left-wing Socialists, Ciudadanos could do a deal with either.
The new parties have the benefit of an untainted image and Ciudadanos has been campaiging on a specifically anti-corruption platform. Where Podemos came to be viewed by some voters as too idealistic, Ciudadanos's economic focus means it is viewed as a more serious, but still fresh, contender: its slogan is El cambio sensato, “the sensible change”. Its centrist policies have also helped it to draw in a wide spectrum of voters, although it is particularly popular among the disenchanted young, who have become the target of a campaign battle between politicians. A party that was until recently considered largely irrelevant now has Spain's two most powerful parties running scared.
Spanish elections have traditionally been a two-horse race between the Socialist Party and the People's Party, which currently leads the country under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Then, the financial crisis led to political upheaval as new parties surged across Europe. This time last year, all eyes were on Podemos, the left-wing Spanish party led by the charismatic academic Pablo Iglesias, which was widely regarded as among the most successful and exciting of the political upstarts.
But at tomorrow’s national elections, it is another young party that is likely to have a bigger impact. Ciudadanos currently has no seats in the national parliament but could be the country's second biggest party by vote share after tomorrow's elections. Here's what you need to know.
Who are they?
Ciudadanos (meaning “Citizens”) is a centrist party led by 36-year-old lawyer Albert Rivera, increasingly the heart-throb of Spanish politics—a former competitive swimmer, he introduced the party on the national stage by posing naked for campaign posters. It was founded 10 years ago but momentum only really started gathering this year, with a sudden rush in support across the country.The party is generally considered centre-right due to its business-friendly policies and advocacy of lower taxes, but it also wants to invest more in healthcare and education and has proposed socially liberal policies such as the legalisation of prostitution. Rivera is from Barcelona but is against Catalan independence, one of the biggest issues on the political agenda at the moment. Despite that, Ciudadanos received the biggest share of the vote of any single party in the Catalan regional elections in September—a taste, perhaps, of what's to come—although it lost out to the pro-independence coalition group “Together for Yes”.
How well are they going to do?
Despite never taking more than single-digit shares of the vote in elections prior to 2015, Ciudadanos is projected to win about 20 per cent nationally. It will almost certainly win a bigger vote share than Podemos, whose support appears to have peaked. Some opinion polls are predicting it will even overtake the Socialist Party, which was in power for many years during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. That would put Ciudadanos in second place after the People's Party. Although this will not necessarily translate into the second-biggest share of seats, its share is nonetheless likely to be high.With the vote being split among more parties than in the past, analysts predict that no single party will win an absolute majority of seats, perhaps leading to Spain's first coalition government since the fall of Franco. If that happens, Ciudadanos will be a key player in negotiations. Dominating the centre ground and taking votes from both the right-wing People's Party and the left-wing Socialists, Ciudadanos could do a deal with either.
Why are they so popular?
Although the economy has fared well under Rajoy—Spain is expected to be one of the fastest growing economies in the EU this year—unemployment has remained high, meaning the People's Party has struggled to get that success to resonate with voters. It has also been hit by a series of recent corruption scandals, a reminder that both the traditional parties are often perceived to have problems with corruption.The new parties have the benefit of an untainted image and Ciudadanos has been campaiging on a specifically anti-corruption platform. Where Podemos came to be viewed by some voters as too idealistic, Ciudadanos's economic focus means it is viewed as a more serious, but still fresh, contender: its slogan is El cambio sensato, “the sensible change”. Its centrist policies have also helped it to draw in a wide spectrum of voters, although it is particularly popular among the disenchanted young, who have become the target of a campaign battle between politicians. A party that was until recently considered largely irrelevant now has Spain's two most powerful parties running scared.
