Spanish voters give old guard a kicking as leftists ride high

[ellenrr]

Spain dealt a blow to two party politics on Sunday in historic elections that saw the incumbent conservatives score an uneasy win tailed by the long-established Socialists and upstart, far-left Syriza ally Podemos.

For more than 30 years, the Popular Party (PP) and Socialists had alternated power, but they now find themselves challenged by Podemos and centrist party Ciudadanos, which came fourth in the closely-fought legislative polls.

While it took the largest share of the votes, the PP lost its absolute majority in parliament by a significant margin and will now have to try and form an uneasy alliance with other parties or attempt to rule as a minority government.

"We are starting a new political era in our country," gushed Pablo Iglesias, the pony-tailed, 37-year-old Podemos leader, as supporters looked on holding purple balloons to match the colours of the party.

http://www.thelocal.es/20151221/spanish-voters-deal-blow-to-bi-party-politics