Demonization, Yet Extensive Cooperation: Opposition to Vox and Podemos

In 2013, Spain saw the rise of two new populist parties, the radical left Podemos and the radical right-wing Vox, both of which later came to hold public office at national or regional level. This chapter analyzes responses to these parties by public authorities, political parties and civil society, sketching the main features of the Spanish Differentiated Model of Tolerant Opposition. Podemos and Vox have often been framed by opponents, albeit in somewhat different terms, as problematic for liberal democracy and good government. Nevertheless, other political actors in Spain mostly engaged with these parties using tolerant initiatives, like those employed against ordinary political opponents. Over time, however, opponents have tended to reduce antagonistic engagement with populist parties, entering into more cooperative relations and integrating them into ‘normal politics’. The conclusion accounts for these developments focusing on the strategies of the Socialist Party and Popular Party, which combine demonization of one party with simultaneous cooperation with the other, in order to benefit from integrating new challengers within the two-bloc logic of the Spanish party system.