Izquierda Española

Not to be confused with United Left (Spain).

Izquierda Española (literally "Spanish Left") is a political party in Spain.

History

The party was registered at the Ministry of the Interior on 27 December 2023. It was founded by Guillermo del Valle Alcalá [es], a lawyer and head of the think tank El Jacobino.[1]

Among the members of the party are former Citizens (Cs) member Francisco Igea, a serving member of the Cortes of Castile and León and former vice president of the Junta of Castile and León;[2] María Muñiz de Urquiza, a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE);[3] and Soraya Rodríguez, former PSOE spokesperson in the Congress of Deputies and MEP for Cs.[4]

Izquierda Española presented its list for the 2024 European Parliament election in Spain, led by Del Valle with Muñiz de Urquiza in second place.[5] Despite wide coverage in the media, the party took only 0.18% of the vote, winning no seats.[6]

Ideology

Del Valle described his party as progressive and social democratic, and a centre ground between what he believed to be the right-wing view of Spain as an "essence" and the left-wing view of the country as a "Francoist relic".[1] He criticised Salvador Illa, the nominee for President of the Government of Catalonia from the PSOE-affiliated Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), for "having the same proposals as nationalism: that rich regions shouldn't redistribute".[5]

The party is opposed to separatism from Basque and Catalan nationalists. It called Together for Catalonia "racist and xenophobic" and EH Bildu "heirs to terrorism", as well as accusing the Spanish government of PSOE prime minister Pedro Sánchez of whitewashing said groups.[7] It has also criticised parties of the right, accusing the People's Party and Vox of not supporting equality.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Ramos, Ana Belén (2 January 2024). "Ex del PSOE, IU o Cs: quién integra el nuevo partido "de izquierdas" contra Sánchez" [Ex-PSOE, IU or Cs members: who is joining the new "left-wing" party against Sánchez]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  2. ^ del Campo, Santiago G. (10 June 2024). "Izquierda Española, tercer partido de Igea en la irrelevancia política abocado a desaparecer" [Izquierda Española, Igea's third party in political irrelevancy and doomed to fail]. Diario de Castilla y León (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ^ "La asturiana María Muñiz, exeurodiputada del PSOE, en la lista de Izquierda Española" [Asturian María Muñiz, ex-MEP for PSOE, on Izquierda Española's list]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). 11 April 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  4. ^ Belver, Marta (10 April 2024). "Soraya Rodríguez, portavoz del PSOE con Rubalcaba y ex de Cs, ficha por Izquierda Española, el partido antinacionalista que concurrirá a las Europeas" [Soraya Rodríguez, PSOE spokesperson for Rubacalda and formerly of Cs, signs for Izquierda Española, the anti-nationalist party that will contest the European elections]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Izquierda Española presenta su lista a las europeas clamando contra el nacionalismo" [Izquierda Española presents its list for the European elections clamouring against nationalism] (in Spanish). Infobae. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  6. ^ Martín Pérez, Idafé (13 June 2024). "Pompas de jabón" [Soap bubbles]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Izquierda Española quiere llevar al Parlamento Europeo acabar con el "blanqueo" de partidos "xenofobos" como Junts" [Izquierda Española wants to take to the European Parliament the end of "whitewashing" of "xenophobic" parties such as Junts] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  8. ^ Estaire Cabañas, Óscar (4 June 2024). "Izquierda Española denuncia que PP y Vox "no se toman en serio la igualdad" y tienen programas "al servicio de los poderosos"" [Izquierda Española denounces that PP and Vox "do not take equality seriously" and have programmes "in service of the powerful"]. El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 December 2024.