Anti-austerity protest in Madrid in support of Podemos

Tens of thousands marched in Madrid today in the biggest show of support yet for anti-austerity party Podemos, whose surging popularity and policies have drawn comparisons with Greece's Syriza.

Crowds chanted “Yes we can” and “Tick tock tick tock”, suggesting the clock was ticking for the political elite. Many waved Greek flags and displayed banners reading “The change is now”.

Podemos was formed just a year ago, but produced a major shock by winning five seats in elections for the European Parliament in May. It is currently topping opinion polls in the run up to local, regional and national elections this year.

“People are fed up with the political class,” said Antonia Fernandez, a 69-year-old pensioner from Madrid who had come to the demonstration with her family.

Ms Fernandez, who lives with her husband on a €700-a-month combined pension cheque, said she used to vote for the Socialist Workers’ Party but had lost faith in it because of its handling of the economic crisis and its austerity policies.

“If we want to have a future, we need jobs,” she said.

Spain is emerging from a seven-year economic slump as one of the euro zone's fastest growing countries, but the exit from recession has yet to ease the hardship for thousands of households, in a country where nearly one in four members of the workforce is out of a job.

Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras had promised that the five years of austerity, "humiliation and suffering" imposed by international creditors were over after his Syriza party swept to victory in a snap election on January 25th.

Reuters