Pablo Iglesias leaves politics after Madrid results

BarcelonaThe until recently vice president of the Spanish government, Pablo Iglesias, announced this Tuesday his resignation as head of Unidas Podemos as the culmination of Madrid elections: "I leave all my posts, I leave the party and institutional politics". He has been the last of the candidates to appear, but in front of the microphone of the party headquarters his message was to the point. "When you are no longer useful you have to know how to withdraw". A motion of censure in Murcia has ended his political career. Butterfly effect.

Iglesias is "proud" of the project that began seven years ago in a European election and that will end in 2021 with 10 seats in the Madrid Assembly, insufficient for the left to defeat Isabel Díaz Ayuso. "I do not know what fate is. Walking I became what I was", he said goodbye quoting one of the best known parts of the song Necio by Silvio Rodríguez, which he did not end with "I die as I lived" as in the song but with an "hasta siempre", after which he put on his mask and left the microphone accompanied by his collaborators.

Yolanda Diaz was the anointed successor when he left the Spanish vice presidency and in Madrid he leaves the road open for Isa Serra, who was to be Podemos's candidate until, polls in hand, Iglesias decided to wade in and play hard to prevent Podemos suffers the same fate as Ciudadanos: "I will remain committed to the country but I will not be a stopper for the renewal of leadership that our political force needs," he stressed. And the changes have to comes "through the feminisation" of the party at the hands of women.

"Few people could imagine the things we have achieved in these seven years," insisted the founder of a party "that changed the history of our country and ended the bipartisanship". Now, governing Spain in coalition with the PSOE "and in many autonomous communities and city councils", he considers that the time has come to leave: "I am proud to have been useful to my political force and to the country". From now on he pledges to try to continue to be so outside the party.