Sur in English reports:
Pablo Iglesias, the high-profile national politician who is leader of the Podemos party that grew out of an anti-capitalist street movement, was under fire on social media and in the press this week for acquiring a luxury 540,000-euro home.
The purchase, made with his partner and fellow Podemos politician, Irene Montero, has come as a surprise to many, including those within his own party, due to Iglesias’s outspoken criticism of the supposedly comfortable life of MPs.
Back in 2012, Iglesias commented on the decision of a minister to spend a similar amount on a home by Tweeting: “Would you entrust the country’s economic policy to someone who spent 600,000 euros on a luxury penthouse?”
The new home of the radical Podemos couple is in the hills behind Madrid and is on a 2,000 -metre plot, including swimming pool and guest house. Iglesias has justified the decision saying he has earned the money and it is for living in and not speculating on. The couple are expecting twins and face a 1,600-euro-a-month joint mortgage.
Iglesias currently lives in a 60-metre-square flat.
Inglés Málaga 