Imogen Calderwood
PODEMOS has come under fire after eight out of 10 municipal top spots went to men.
Voting for the anti-austerity party’s municipal leaders saw men take top places in by far the majority of cities, with only Sevilla and Zaragoza breaking the mould.
One of Podemos’ founding initiatives is that each gender must have at least 40% representation on all of its bodies.
Gemma Galdon, a member of Podemos’ 62-strong citizens’ council, which will decide the course of the party’s manifesto admitted that the result is concerning.
“In general, of course I am worried, but we have to wait until all of Podemos’ organs and constituted before a real evaluation can be made,” said Galdon.
Recent opinion polls show that support for Podemos has dipped, currently placing the party third behind PP and PSOE for this year’s elections.
But the three parties are still neck and neck, despite Podemos having recently gone back on some of its more radical proposals, such as reducing the retirement age to 60 and an across-the-board citizens’ salary.
