A transforming debate

Pedro Sánchez (Socialist Party), Albert Rivera (Ciudadanos) and Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) will face each other today in a debate between candidates for prime minister ahead of the December 20 general election. The event, which is being organized by EL PAÍS, is the first of three such encounters that are planned ahead of the polls. The three main figures behind the current reinvigoration of Spanish politics will set out their ideas and plans at a time when a confrontation will be particularly useful in helping clear up the indecision felt by a large part of the electorate. More anxious than ever, voters – without doubt, a large part of them – need to resolve the doubts that have led to a technical tie between the main parties as they begin the race to La Moncloa prime ministerial palace.

The absence of  Mariano Rajoy – who was invited, but declined to attend – has made the fresh faces of the political scene the stars of today’s debate

The absence of the current prime minister, the Popular Party’s Mariano Rajoy – who was invited, but declined to attend – has made the fresh faces of the political scene the stars of today’s debate. Pedro Sánchez is the new leader of a force with a long tradition and experience, while Albert Rivera is the head of a party still emerging on the national scene – albeit with a longer track record in Catalonia. For his part, Pablo Iglesias heads up a group put together as recently as the beginning of 2014. The three of them are all, by the way, from the same generation.

The other major novelty is the format that has been chosen for the production and broadcast of today’s debate. For the first time since democracy returned to Spain in the 1970s, a digital debate will be held between prime ministerial candidates, thus definitively establishing the reality of the internet in this country’s election campaigns.

Both innovations will be put at the disposal of Spanish citizens, who are in need of elements to help them choose between the available alternatives before they decide how to vote at December’s polls. It is increasingly clear that the election campaign needs to involve a series of debates, rather than just a string of party rallies aimed at supporters who know well beforehand how they will vote. Because the problem with modern politics is how to convince people. Without contradictions, without exchanges or challenging of ideas, without analysis, there is no debate; just monologues and soliloquies.

The huge range in voting intention, which was once again revealed by the Metroscopia poll published in EL PAÍS at the weekend, clearly shows that the prime ministerial hopefuls need to convince undecided voters with reasons, and not just by disqualifying their opponents or speeches with no right to reply. This is the only way that voters will find the arguments upon which they can base their decisions.

The election campaign of the future starts at 9pm this evening at elpais.com, with an open streaming channel that can be used by any other media group that wishes to broadcast it. There is hope that the debate itself will reflect the wide-ranging currents of renewal and pluralism that are coursing through society, as well as the need to respond to the serious challenges of the present.

English version by Simon Hunter.