Spain's Socialist Leader Resigns After Party Hammered in European Elections

At Toronto's Globe and Mail,"Euroskeptic election surge threatens governments across EU":

Spain’s Socialist opposition leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said on Monday he was stepping down after the party had its worst-ever election result on Sunday with an upstart rival leftist group grabbing 8 per cent of the vote.  Recession-weary voters, unhappy with public-sector wage cuts, layoffs and corruption scandals also punished the ruling center-right People’s Party.

Together, the two parties that have dominated Spanish politics since the country returned to democracy in the 1970s, took less than 50 per cent of the vote. A brand new leftist party led by 35-year-old university professor Pablo Iglesias was the big winner, taking 8 per cent of the vote and five seats in the European Parliament.

The Socialists lost nine of their 23 seats in the European Parliament while the ruling centre-right People’s Party lost eight of its 24 seats. Together, the two parties that have dominated Spanish politics since the country returned to democracy in the 1970s, took less than 50 per cent of the vote.

“It’s clear that we haven’t regained voters’ confidence,” Mr. Rubalcaba said in a televised news conference. “There has to be new leadership that takes on change.”

More at the Chicago Tribune, "Spain's Socialist leader quits after party's worst-ever election."

And a new leftist party, "Podemos," took five out of Spain's 54 seats in the European Parliament. At the BBC, "Spain's 'we can' party proves it can."  Pablo Iglesias, the party leader, can be seen at the clip above.

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