DiEM25 wishes the new Sanchez government well and welcomes the prospect of the PP, Ciudadanos and Vox staying in opposition. Although we don’t forget that Sanchez made a serious mistake in calling an election that ended up weakening the PSOE-Podemos coalition while boosting Vox.

Leftists cannot but feel relieved when a progressive government emerges from an election in which the extreme Right was the only genuine winner.

At the same time, we cannot ignore that both parties have previously failed to stand firm to the pressure of powerful multinationals, oligopolies, financial capital and the mass media.

On the one hand, Sanchez and PSOE remain committed to full obedience to the Troika and the unsustainable economic and social policies of austerity for the many and socialism for the very few (mainly the bankers) stemming from the Eurogroup. Their submission to neoliberal policies, as is often the case with social-democratic parties in Europe, ultimately fed Vox, the extreme Right.

On the other hand, Podemos did much damage to the progressive cause when, in the summer of 2015, they endorsed SYRIZA’s surrender to the troika against the will of 62% of the Greek voters while, at the same time, damaging themselves as a radical and alternative Left.

They also harmed the progressive cause in Spain and Europe by refusing to develop a coherent progressive agenda for Europe (that includes a full programme for a Green New Deal, for how to manage the Euro crisis, monetary policy of the ECB and so on).

DiEM25 will be watchful in the hope that the PSOE-Podemos new government doesn’t reinforce the twin authoritarianisms of (a) the establishment and (b) the neo-fascist, xenophobic ‚anti-establishment‘.

In conclusion, DiEM25 calls upon PSOE and Podemos to focus on forging a comprehensive radical Europeanist manifesto. We invite both parties to consult our Green New Deal for Europe, which would provide excellent inspiraton for this.

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