Madrid--Spanish protest party Podemos has ditched its most radical policies and seems to be shifting towards the centre as it struggles to maintain momentum ahead of elections, analysts say.
Podemos turned Spanish politics on its head by surging in the polls since its 2014 foundation, but recently ran into trouble with regional elections set for May 24 and a general vote due around November.
Earlier this year, Podemos topped some opinion polls, but the most recent surveys rank it in fourth place behind the country's two main parties and rival upstart Ciudadanos, which is competing for voters thirsty for change but who fear the hard left's tone.
This week, Podemos presented a preliminary manifesto heavy on social welfare but abandoning some earlier pledges and lacking detailed figures.
The plan promises a "citizens' bailout" consisting of social measures to help poor and working people.
It was launched on Tuesday at a theatre in Madrid by Podemos's pony-tailed leader Pablo Iglesias, a 36-year-old university lecturer.
He vows to stop evictions of homeowners ruined in the economic crisis and offers universal free healthcare and more investment in education -- sectors hit by recent austerity measures.
The plan proposed a "new model of production" for a more environmentally friendly economy, promoting research and development and fighting corruption.
AFP
