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- Manuela Carmena, mayor of Madrid
Ms Manuela Carmena, one year ago you were elected by the network ›Ahora Madrid‹ and with the support of the socialists as the mayor of Madrid. What motivated you to apply for this job and has this job changed you in some ways?
Manuela Carmena: Actually, I did not want to go into politics initially and it was quite an effort to do so, but my young group ›Ahora Madrid‹ needed a representative. I retired early and it was like paradise. Now, being a mayor, I have certainly lost this paradise.
On the one hand I have a lot of responsibility and there is much work to do, on the other hand I get a lot in return, for example, satisfaction and happiness in my encounters with people in the town hall or on the metro.
Right from the start you have introduced a different style of politics: you have refused privileges such as free theater tickets or opera visits, you have voluntarily reduced your salary and you use public transport to go to work. What was the reaction of other politicians towards your decision and which experiences do you make with people who meet you, their mayor in the metro?
M.C.: When I go to work by metro, the people are treating me with civility and respect and nobody harasses me. For example if I'm reading a book no one disturbs me, the other passengers wait until I lift my head and smile at me. Up to now I only had two negative experiences in the metro - I was addressed personally and criticized openly.
Other politicians think that they should be specially protected, which I don't see the same way. The mayor is just a neighbor. And why should a politician with a solid job and income have privileges such as free tickets, a company car or preferential treatments at airports? A politician needs no privileges and is just one among many.
Other politicians don't like my attitude and accuse me that I am a populist, but why? They can not justify their accusation with arguments. For me, my life has always been so and just because I now carry political responsibility, I don't need to change myself.
You started as a political outsider with no party career - similar to Thessaloniki's mayor Yiannis Boutaris or Reykjavik's ex-mayor Jón Gnarr. Do you see your position as an outsider as a chance to try out new and unsual ideas and if so, which topics do you value most?
M.C.: The current political landscape is in a crisis.
I like the writings of past philosophers such as Simone Weil or André Breton, who already expressed critical views about parties in their own time. Todays parties are like associations, not very democratic and pretty detached from the society.
Now is a good point in time to reflect how political parties should be. These days there are other organizations and groups, which replace the existing parties, they act more dynamically and modernly and are better connected to contemporary forms of communication and social media.
What I'm doing, this is very personal and human and doesn't primarily stem from a political structure. In my own personal way I'm trying to hold up a mirror to the other parties. As I don't represent a particular political party, I can speak without any reservation with the representatives of these parties.
One of your main topics was to defuse the social impact of the crisis. What did you achieve in this respect?
M.C.: The social expectations of society are an important issue for me as mayor. For example, if the town hall receives tickets to sporting events, we then pass on the tickets to schools. We support soup kitchens and the construction of social housing. We have reduced the fees for sports centers and kindergartens.
We invest in the restoration of old people's homes, roads, parks and schools and we try to employ companies for these works whose workload is low. Hence we created 11 000 jobs this year.
Did you create as the representative of ›Ahora Madrid‹ new opportunities for the people of Madrid to engage more directly in political decisions and to reduce the distance between politics and citizens?
M.C.: We are pursuing a social policy at the town hall. We have installed a website where the citizens can submit suggestions and vote. Thus, for example, 25 000 citizens participated in a vote regarding building measures at Plaza de Espańa.
Since the end of Franco's dictatorship until the beginning of the euro crisis Spain's policy has always been dominated by two political groups which irreconcilably opposed each other: Left socialists and the conservative popular party. Has the the euro crisis lead to an increase in this camp mentality or on the contrary to a more constructive cooperation between the political parties?
M.C.: The last elections failed exactly due to this stubbornness. Up to now there is no absolute majority for a government. Therefore there is still a lack of cooperation among political groups and parties. At the moment one can observe a political situation, where it is hard for large parties to respect smaller parties.
Despite of this Madrid's town hall is quite a good example because it has an effective minority government.
(Note: The Socialists, who supported Manuela Carmena's candidacy for mayor, are not involved in the city government).
The law ›Ley Mordaza‹ came into effect last year, which contains heavy fines for unannounced protests and restrictions on press freedom. How do you judge this law as a representative of the platform ›Ahora Madrid‹?
M.C.: The security laws of the city have always been used to control the social freedoms and civil laws.
In this regard, my previous government has strongly tried to tighten security laws and controls. However one can still contest the charges and penalties and so far I don't see severe restrictions of civil liberties. I think it is not unusual that such a law takes effect in times of crisis as an attempt to control the situation. I also hope, that a new government is able and willing the loosen these laws again.
When I realized another work about young Spaniards in 2013, the Spaniard Celia, aged 17, told me: »In my opinion, Spanish politicians are simply embarrassing, they are just thieves. We vote for them because we trust them and want them to make decisions for us. But then they don't do anything. Instead, they just take advantage of their position for themselves.«
Do you understand the frustration of this young Spanish woman and have you made any decisions to improve the situation of young Spaniards in Madrid?
M.C.: Yes, I understand this young Spaniard. We particularly try to promote technological training for young people, because this is needed by employers and companies.
It is hard to fight against the image of the politician as liars and swindlers. The only way to change it, is through the personal contact and that the politicians really talk to the people. For example we organize open meetings in different neighborhoods of Madrid, where the citizens can participate and I listen to them. One can see that people are currently not used to it yet, but those, who took part, pass the experience on to others and thereby hope arises.
As an example we have, together with the city cleaning services developed an image campaign: The district is now clean and the people feel better treated and start to recognize that politics can make a difference.
What are your main goals and desires that you would like to achieve next?
M.C.: My next goal is to build a housing complex. There is a lack of social housing because communal apartments were privatized and sold by the previous government. We want to try to change this situation.
According to the Spanish author Rafael Chirbes, human greed and egoism are the real causes of the crisis in Spain. Do you think that the Spanish crisis has changed the mentality or mindset of the people?
M.C.: I don't dare to say it so clearly. Money can't buy happiness and I hope that the citizens participate in social changes and start to see it as a stimulating adventure.
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