The Europe Roundup: Grass-Roots Party Sways Spanish Politics. From Protest to Engagement?

In the past two months the main political news in Spain has not been "traditionally" political: the Indignados (indignants) movement has somewhat disrupted the political scene with a youth-led and peaceful protest in many cities of the country.
Is it time for the protest to transition to the next stage?

Yesterday The New York Times published a story on Elena Biurrun, the mayor of Torrelodones, a town of 22,000 on the outskirts of Madrid.
Ms. Biurrun represents a local party called Vecinos por Torrelodones (Neighbors for Torrelodones).

Vecinos did not start out as a political party. Instead, it grew out of an environmental protest group that Ms. Biurrun and others formed to block a real estate project that had the backing of the town hall but would have threatened 128 hectares, or 316 acres, of protected woodland. The group’s successful environmental crusade, which went as far as filing a complaint with the European Commission, convinced members that they could make other improvements to life in Torrelodones by running for office.

Ms. Biurrun's election comes at the same time as the protest that have been shaking Spain in the past  months: could this be a switch from indignation to engagement?

Her victory also coincides with a youth-led movement that has been demanding an overhaul of Spain’s political system. The protesters have accused traditional parties and other institutions of putting their interests ahead of those of the citizens, even at a time of record unemployment. [...]

Javier Laorden, who took over as the Popular Party’s leader in January, acknowledged that the Vecinos Party had “fully capitalized on the discontent in Spain with traditional politicians” and had run a “magnificent” campaign.

Laorden, though, is skeptical of the newly-born party's agenda and to the claim that it may be originated by the movement. The town does not seem heavily affected by the financial crisis: Torrelodones has in fact a relatively low unemployment rate (below 5 percent), compared to the 21% registered nationwide. Also, the Vecinos Party benefited considerably from the support of bankers, media celebrities and diplomats who make this suburb their home.

Politicians and journalists will further debate if this is actually an outcome of the street gatherings. Probably, though, the most interesting thing is to see in the next months if the new government of the town will show to have understood the stance and the impact of the protests against the traditional political establishment and to use that understanding to better run the city now that they are in power.
Biurrun herself may not have longtime political party experience (though her party participated in the 2007 election with good results) but seems to understand that it is a time of austerity:

She cut her own annual salary to €49,000 from the €63,000 that her predecessor earned. Gone also are his chauffeur-driven car and round-the-clock police escort.
“Nobody in our team had previously held any party membership, and our only shared ideology is that of common sense,” Ms. Biurrun said in an interview. “Politics, at least at a local level, should be about providing the sound management that residents deserve rather than parading around with a party tattoo.”