Are more democratic systems necessary before important social-ecological transformations can occur on a large scale?

Podemos is a Spanish political party that appeared in early 2014. The relevance of Podemos as a seed lies in its potential to democratize politics by challenging the two-party system that has ruled Spain for 30+ years. The most remarkable aspect of this initiative may be the degree to which Podemos has been able to activate citizen participation and involvement. Some of the ways in which this occurs:

  • Podemos has promoted the creation of “circles” (local assemblies for debate styled after the assemblies of the Indignados)
  • open primaries
  • the use of a variety of open software (such as Loomio or Appgree) to allow for virtual voting on issues, primaries and platforms.
  • Podemos is financed through donations and crowd-sourcing.

For more information, visit http://podemos.info/