‘Democracy’ the winner in Greece: Spain’s Podemos

The leader of Spain’s leftist Podemos party on Sunday hailed early results from Greece’s referendum showing voters decisively rejecting creditors’ bailout terms as a victory for democracy.

“Today in Greece democracy won,” Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, a close ally of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, posted on his Twitter page.

Another senior Podemos member, Rafael Mayoral, who was in Greece for the referendum, added: “Joy is in air at Syriza headquarters.”

There was no immediate reaction to the emerging “no” vote from Spain’s conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who had urged Greeks to accept the bailout proposals and had openly backed the departure of the far-left Greek government led by the Syriza party.

Rajoy’s ruling Popular Party is under pressure from Podemos and the Socialist Party, with opinion polls showing them almost neck-and-neck with less than six months to go before a general election at the end of the year.

Madrid’s new mayor Manuela Carmena, brought to power last month on a leftist platform backed by Podemos, posted on her Twitter account as the Greek votes came in: “Nobody who believes in democracy can contest the result of a referendum. Let’s govern by listening.”