Deal reached for protest candidate to be made Madrid mayor

The protest party contender for Madrid's city hall, Manuela Carmena, will be sworn in as mayor of the Spanish capital on Saturday after her Ahora Madrid citizens platform won the backing of the Socialist party, the platform said Thursday.

Ahora Madrid, born from the "Outraged" protest movement that erupted in Spain's economic crisis, and the Socialists finished in second and third place respectively in local election on May 24.

Together they will have enough council seats to drive Spain's governing Popular Party out of the city hall stronghold it has controlled for 24 years.

"The talks with Socialists to achieve the swearing in of Manuela Carmena have born fruit," Ahora Madrid said in a statement.

Carmena, a 71-year-old retired judge who in her youth opposed the Francisco Franco regime, campaigned on a promise to make the fight against economic inequality her priority.

She has proposed curbing home evictions and providing free electricity and water for households that cannot afford utilities.

Her Ahora Madrid platform, a coalition of left-wing groups that was backed by Spain's new anti-austerity party Podemos which has shaken up Spanish politics, won 31.8 percent of the vote giving it 20 seats.

The Socialists captured nine seats. The Popular Party came in first with 21 seats but was not able to achieve the support other parties to allow it to govern.

In Barcelona, another citizens platform, Barcelona En Comu led by anti-eviction activist Ada Colau which was backed by Podemos as well, is also expected to take the reins of city hall on Saturday.