Out of politics, ponytailed Podemos founder has a haircut and Spain goes crazy for it

Whether tied back in a ponytail or worn up in a bun, his hair has often defined the former politics professor who co-founded the radical left-wing Podemos, which joined Spain's coalition government in January 2020.

Known for years in the Spanish press as "el coletas" -- the man with a ponytail -- Iglesias kept his look even when named a deputy prime minister, pairing his long hair with open-necked shirts at official events, or even bundling it up in a bun.

But barely a week after standing down as a politician, Iglesias has adopted a completely new look, with pictures in La Vanguardia newspaper showing the bearded 42-year-old in a checked shirt and jeans with his wavy brown hair shorn short.

Photo by Dani GAGO / AFP

Was it a centre parting or more "on the right", wondered the right-wing La Razón newspaper, but it was impossible to say from the angle of the photos.

Iglesias resigned from politics on May 4 after Spain's left-wing parties were routed in Madrid's regional elections, just seven weeks after stepping down as deputy prime minister to run as his party's candidate.

Podemos emerged out of the anti-austerity "Indignados" protest movement that occupied public squares across Spain in 2011, with the party entering the political scene in 2014.

Since then, Iglesias has been one of the best-known faces of Spanish politics.

Shortly after it was established, the party was elected to the European

Parliament, with ballot papers that featured a picture of his ponytail.