Just over a year ago, Yolanda Díaz gave a newspaper interview that appeared under the pleasingly provocative headline: "No basta con gestionar, a este Gobierno le falta alma" - "Running things isn't enough; this government lacks spirit."
While alma could also be translated as soul, heart or enthusiasm, the thrust of Díaz's comments to El País was perfectly clear. Despite being a key figure in Pedro Sánchez's Socialist-led minority administration - she serves as labour minister and second deputy prime minister -Díaz believes governing is about more than just delivery. For her, politicians are there to improve people's lives, to defend and increase hard-won rights, and to leave their country in a better state than they found it. Still, as she told the paper, the odd "happy policy" never does any harm either.
Twelve months on, as Spain faces a snap general election that could result in a coalition between the conservative People's party (PP) and far-right Vox party, Díaz is putting her policies and her alma to the test.
The new Sumar movement she leads - a platform of leftwing, far-left and green parties including the beleaguered Podemos, once the great new hope of the Spanish left - is hoping that, with the Socialists, it will pick up enough votes to keep the PP and Vox out of power.
Like Sánchez, who has sought to portray the election as a Manichean choice between all that is progressive and all that is reactionary, Díaz is blunt about what is at stake.
This story is from the July 14, 2023 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the July 14, 2023 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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