Podemos (Spanish political party)

Podemos ([poˈðemos], lit. 'We Can') is a left-wing to far-left political party in Spain. Founded in January 2014 by the political scientist Pablo Iglesias Turrión as part of the anti-austerity movement in Spain, the party is currently led by Secretary-general Ione Belarra.

Podemos arose in the context of the economic crisis at the start of the 2010s and the aftermath of the 15-M Movement protests against inequality and corruption. A fast growing movement, the party took part in the 2014 European Parliament election, winning almost 8% of the vote and five seats out of 54, outperforming the polls. The party would go on to take part in the 2015 and 2016 Spanish general elections, becoming the country's third largest political force, but underperforming against the PSOE in the battle for the hegemony in the Spanish left.

On 9 May 2016, Podemos formed the Unidos Podemos electoral alliance with the United Left, Equo, and regionalist left-wing parties. After the fall of government talks with the PSOE after the April 2019 Spanish general election, the November 2019 Spanish general election, in which the party and its allies won 12.9% of the vote and 35 seats in the Congress of Deputies, resulted in the Sánchez II Government through a coalition government between Podemos and the PSOE, the first multi-party cabinet in the Spanish democratic era. The party took part in the Sumar coalition for the 2023 general election, but left it soon after.