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New poll puts left wing Podemos party ahead in Spain

Xinhua, January 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

A new opinion poll published by radio station, Cadena Ser places the recently created left wing party Podemos at the head of voter intentions in Spain.

The poll, which was carried out by the company "My Word", gives Podemas 27.5 percent of the votes should a general election be held in Spain right now.

The governing Popular Party would take 24.6 percent of the vote, virtually 20 percent down on the 44 percent the PP won in the Nov. 11 general elections, while the decline of the Socialist (PSOE) appears to be confirmed as they dip below the 20 percent mark to just 19 percent of the vote.

Significantly Spain's two traditional parties together poll just 43.6 percent of the total vote, lending support to the theory that Podemos has broken the traditional two-party structure in Spain.

The fall in support for the PSOE can be explained by its support switching to Podemos, but it is a blow to new leader Pedro Sanchez to see the party polling almost 10 percent less than its disastrous showing in the 2011 election.

The United Left (IU) has also lost a large share of their voters to Podemos and would poll just 3.7 percent in a general election, while the center right UPyD and Ciudadanos (Citizens; a Catalan party, which has moved into the national scenario) would take 5.5 percent and 5 percent of the vote respectively.

As well as taking votes from traditional left wing parties and even convincing 10 percent of former PP voters, Podemos has also succeeded in capturing the support of people who had not previously voted, or handed in a blank vote, with 36 percent of people who admitted this tactic now saying they would vote for the party led by Pablo Iglesias.

The poll also shows that Iglesias is the favored candidate to be prime minister next November with 44 percent of those asked saying he would be the best leader. PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez is second with 32 percent, while current Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has the support of just 23 percent of Spaniards.

This poll comes five days after a poll in the right wing La Razon newspaper which gave the PP a lead with the PSOE second and Podemos in third place. It highlights that 2015 will see a tense race in Spain ahead of the local elections in May and the general elections which is scheduled for November. Endit