There are some wild cards in the upcoming election. Both the PP and PSOE have been tarred with the corruption bush, and two former Socialist governors of Andalusia have just been charged with illegal payments to supporters. Turnout will likely be lower than in the December election, but the left's effective grassroots organizations may offset that.
The Spanish elections arrive at a critical time for the European Union, and a Madrid government that resists the increasingly discredited economic strategy of the troika could shift the balance in the direction imagined by Piketty.
That, however, will depend on whether the Socialist Party decides to join with the left or go into a grand coalition with the right.
A failure by the left to unite will open the door for Europe's resurgent far right, whose xenophobia and racism have gained ground all over the continent. The only way to effectively counter the far right is to democratize the European Union and pursue economic policies that will provide jobs and raise living standards. Only the left can deliver such a program.
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