Participation in left-wing populism
From the Indignados to the institutional challenge of Podemos
An increasing number of populist parties are no longer on the fringes of the party system, but are strongly integrated within their respective national political contexts. Academic and scientific research on populism has expanded exponentially in recent years and has largely dealt with the analysis of the discussed phenomenon of so-called 'right-wing populisms'. In response to the political and social changes of the 2008 economic crisis, so-called 'left-wing populist' forces have also gained consensus and media attention in the US and European context. This phenomenon has therefore also gained greater prominence within scholarly and academic analyses, although it does not yet hold the space commensurate with the importance that some of these forces currently hold in their respective countries.
The aim of this paper is, therefore, to contribute to this reflection by analysing the change in political participation that has taken place from the post-crisis social movements of 2008, the basis for the emergence of left-wing populisms, to their institutionalisation. The analysis therefore aims to examine the evolution of political participation in the transition from social movement to institutionalised party-movement. More specifically, it aims to highlight the changes that occur within a populist movement-party when it reaches important governmental positions.
The most exemplary case is undoubtedly Podemos: the party-movement was founded in 2014 as a result of the strong political mobilisation of the 15M social movement, also known as the Indignados movement, which has developed in the Spanish State since 2011. Since January 2020 the Spanish movement-party is part of the Sánchez II government in which the secretary of Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, held the position of Vice-President of the Council and Minister of Social Policies.
The analysis will use a comparative method, highlighting the transformations and points of convergence that occurred in political participation in Spain from social movements to the entry of Podemos into the Sánchez II government. In particular, we will analyze the organizational dimensions and the changes in the consensus of the party-movement at national level. Podemos is a 'mutant gene', a fluid organization that has made the 'populist moment' and the bottom-up participation an essential instrument of its initial electoral and media success. Exogenous and endogenous causes have led to a repositioning on the left-right axis and, once in government, to a need for discursive, communicative and organizational change. The future of Podemos will depend on its ability to readjust to these changes, especially the need for greater participation and territorial presence and the change in leadership.