“To change things we need to work every day in the struggles”

2011-12-19 · first published in International Viewpoint · 211 words

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International Viewpoint

Interview with Esther Vivas, candidate for Izquierda Alternative in the recent Spanish elections

1. How do you evaluate the results for Izquierda Anticapitalista?

I think the campaign we waged has been good, with an activist profile, raising the need to build a left alternative at the margin of the traditional parties. While it is clear that the results in number of votes have been very modest and well below what would be necessary in a context like the present. And yet many people prefer to "vote" for options such as IU or abstain, given the difficulty of an anti-capitalist choice such as ours, in obtaining parliamentary representation. Building an anti-capitalist alternative is a process that takes time and perseverance.

2. How do you feel about the so-called anti-capitalist left (in its various organizations) being once again outside of Parliament?

Well, we were already in that situation! We know that elections are not neutral ground and are determined by money, media coverage and the institutional levers. Getting institutional representation is always difficult for the options which emerge from outside the party system. Opening an electoral breakthrough and getting anti-capitalist voices in the institutions to use them as a loudspeaker is not done in a day, it is a medium-term task.