Spain’s populists are set to change the country’s politics for good

For years, southern Spain has been one of the main entry points for migrants travelling to Europe from Africa or the Middle East. Yet throughout the so-called refugee crisis of 2015 – an issue that saw populist parties across the EU gain huge support – Spain proved to be one of Europe’s few exceptions.

Throughout a flurry of elections – the European elections in 2014 and general elections in 2015 and 2016 – voters were instead tempted away from mainstream parties by left-wing political upstart Podemos. Unlike the far-right in the rest of Europe, Spain’s was pretty much non-existent. Even just six months ago, the anti-immigrant, anti-feminist Vox party did not have a single councillor anywhere in the country.

One of the few other countries to rebuff the advance of European populism was Portugal. So analysts put this down to the Iberian Peninsula’s recent experience of dictatorship. Franco only died 44 years ago, some suggested, so perhaps history had instilled Spaniards with a deep scepticism towards the right.