125-555: Irene María Montero Gil ( Spanish pronunciation: [iˈɾene monˈteɾo] ; born 13 February 1988) is a Spanish politician and psychologist, member of the Podemos party. She most recently served as the Minister of Equality of Spain from 13 January 2020 to 20 November 2023. She is the partner of Pablo Iglesias , one of the founders and former leader of her party. From January 2016 to August 2023, Montero has also been an MP for Madrid in
250-697: A Eurosceptic stance by some sources. However, others consider it to be a pro-European party and several academics have defined it as soft Eurosceptic . Podemos has called for a renegotiation of austerity measures and seeks to curtail the Treaty of Lisbon . It is also part of the European Left Alliance for the People and the Planet ; a pan-European party that supports an alternative to capitalism. Podemos has been accused of having ties to Bolivarian Venezuela and
375-479: A " Nationalist , revisionist , eurosceptic and confessional " one. In September 2014 the party elected Santiago Abascal, one of the founders, as its president, and Iván Espinosa de los Monteros , also a founder, as General Secretary. Eleven members of the National Executive Committee were also elected. The party took part in the 2015 and 2016 general elections , scoring 0.23% and 0.20% of
500-617: A "family violence law that will afford the same protection to the elderly, men, women and children who suffer from abuse". Left-leaning critics believe Vox undermines the importance of feminist struggle in the advancement of women's liberties by means of linking the latter to a culture with "Christian foundations". Vox is opposed to abortion and rejects the legalization of euthanasia . The party supports bullfighting , which it considers an important element of Spanish culture that should be defended. Vox advocates law and order policies and calls for "safe neighbourhoods", typically linking
625-500: A collaboratively written programme for the 2014 European Parliament election in Spain . Some of the most important policies were emphasis on public control, poverty reduction , and social dignity via a basic income for every adult , including lobbying controls and punitive measures against tax avoidance by large corporations and multinational organizations, as well as promotion of smaller enterprises. It also included revoking or curtailing
750-403: A direct intention of vote of 22.2%, compared to PSOE's 13.1% and PP's 10.4%. The party lost much support in the polls during the final months of 2015 when elections were approaching (sinking to 13%) whereas during the election campaign experienced a huge rise in support in the polls up to 20% of vote days before the election. According to Politico Europe's Poll of Polls , Podemos has remained
875-426: A lack of mobilisation [of voters]." In the aftermath of the general elections, many members of the "liberal family of Vox" left the party or lost their influence in favour of the syndicalist wing, headed by Jorge Buxadé. In late 2023, Vox promoted the youth organization Revuelta , which is seen by some media as the party's covert youth wing . Revuelta took part in the 2023–2024 Spanish protests . Vox held
1000-687: A later, more beneficial law. The law was amended in April 2023 by the PSOE and opposition PP, which Montero considered "a sad day" and the most difficult of her tenure as a minister. In September 2023, the court of Navarra reduced the sentence of one of the members of "la Manada" from 15 years to 14 years by applying the "solo sí es sí" law. In October 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war , Montero said that Israel's alleged violation of international criminal law and war crimes must face consequences. Montero run for Member of
1125-646: A major rally in Madrid in May 2024 in anticipation of the European elections . Receiving support from international politicians including Argentinian President Javier Milei and France's presidency candidate Marine Le Pen , as well as other politicians from Italy, Hungary, France, and Portugal. In response to the conservative People's Party 's decision to grant asylum to a number of undocumented underage immigrants in their respective regions, Vox decided on 11 July 2024 to step out of
1250-727: A master's degree in Educational Psychology. She received a scholarship for Harvard University , but chose to commit herself to politics instead of moving to the United States. Montero joined Podemos after the elections to the European Parliament in 2014 together with Rafa Mayoral from the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (PAH). In November 2014, after being a candidate for the Citizen Council of Podemos, Montero
1375-643: A mastermind behind Catalan separatism and the alleged " Islamization " of Europe. During his participation in the April 2019 general election debate, Santiago Abascal used a phrase of the fascist Ramiro Ledesma , founder of the Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista (JONS): "only the rich can afford the luxury of not having a homeland". In 2023, Barcelona-based journalist Stephen Burgen and Spanish political scientist Pablo Simón argued that Vox had grown to contain two factions which adhere to different influences; they cited
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#17328913835341500-404: A meeting in Madrid on 18 and 19 October. On 19 October, Podemos membership was 130,000 and on 22 October it was 170,000. The citizens' assembly adopted five resolutions, all of which were submitted by circles, based on the votes of Podemos members, each of whom could vote for five resolutions. The approved resolutions were on improving public education (45%), on anti-corruption measures (42%), on
1625-440: A meeting of Podemos circles which took place on 8 June in Madrid, there was criticism for both the closed lists and the short deadlines, which allegedly led to fewer lists being presented. The electoral process in which 55,000 people participated gave the victory to Iglesias' list, with 86.8% of the vote. A major part of the citizens' assembly involved the writing of documents defining the political and organisational principles of
1750-523: A member of the party, and downplayed his discrepancies with Vox's main line. Vox supports the constitutional monarchy and wants to repeal the Historical Memory Law . The party wants to reform the Spanish electoral system "so the vote of every Spaniard is worth the same". Vox has been described as taking a revisionist approach towards Francoist Spain . Vox publicly criticised and opposed
1875-737: A more hardline wing close to leader Santiago Abascal whom they claim take inspiration from nationalist European parties and figures such as Viktor Orbán in Hungary and the right-wing nationalist faction of Law and Justice in Poland, and a second wing containing former party spokesman Iván Espinosa de los Monteros who identify more with the British Conservative Party and whose role models would be Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan . Espinosa quit politics in August 2023, although he officially remained
2000-677: A motion in the Congress of Deputies together with ERC and EH Bildu that ended up being approved. Podemos has criticised Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip . On 16 October 2023, in response to Israel's bombing and blockade of the Gaza Strip , Podemos leader Ione Belarra accused the EU and the United States of "being complicit in Israel's war crimes " and called for Israel to be denounced before
2125-505: A motion of no confidence. In May 2018, Iglesias and Montero put their positions in Podemos up for a vote of no confidence, following backlash for purchasing a €615,000 country house in Galapagar . A total of 68.42% of party members voted to keep them in their roles. In January 2020, prime minister Pedro Sánchez appointed Montero as Minister of Equality . During her time in office, she oversaw
2250-571: A narrow majority (six votes in support vs. five votes against) that the first anti-COVID State of Alarm was unconstitutional in the part of suppressing the freedom of movement established by the Article 19 of the Constitution . In October 2021 the Constitutional Court of Spain supported two other appeals by Vox, and declared unconstitutional the closing down of Spanish Parliament and Senate in
2375-463: A new democratic and social Europe is emerging, and Jeremy Corbyn's victory would be a great step in that direction". In the 2014 European Parliament election in Spain on 25 May, Podemos received 7.98% of the national vote, with 1,200,000 votes cast, electing five Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Iglesias chose Dina Bousselham to lead his cabinet of advisors as an MEP. El País described Pablo Iglesias Turrión as pessimistic about
2500-471: A pledge that, if the party won the election, it would hold a nationwide referendum on whether Spain should retain the Spanish monarchy or become a republic . The party also promised to increase public spending and ban job cuts in profitable firms. At the 2015 general election on 20 December 2015, Podemos received 21% of the vote and became the third largest party in the parliament, with 69 out of 350 seats,
2625-491: A positive sentiment towards Podemos and their appeal to the unsatisfied youth of Spain with an "irreverent style". Podemos also used its very well run social media presence to its benefit to find popularity. After it received the fourth highest number of votes in the European elections, news related to the growth of Podemos started to be published. The hashtag Pablo Iglesias was the number 1 trending topic on Twitter in Spain
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#17328913835342750-467: A strong anti-immigration stance and advocacy for stricter law and order policies ; (ii) a strong defence of the unity of Spain against all who allegedly want to break or undermine it; (iii) an opposition to what it labels the " progressive dictatorship"; (iv) and strong defence of the Catholic religion and so-called traditional values . According to Xavier Casals , the unifying part of Vox's ideology
2875-527: A time when Spain is still struggling under a heavy debt burden". Vicente Palacio of Fundación Alternativas said that Podemos could have "very beneficial effects in terms of regenerating the Spanish democratic system", but is in danger of going "toward populism and demagogy , as has happened in the case of Beppe Grillo and his Five Star Movement in Italy". The leader of Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) Rosa Díez said that similarities could be found with
3000-614: A video of the opening ceremony of the Women's Institute where she made the statements for which she was convicted, and post the judgment on Twitter. She was given 3 months to fulfil the judgment. The court imposed her an additional €5,400 fine since Montero had not complied with the order within the 3 months. In September, Montero appealed to a higher court, on the grounds that the judgment would erode her credibility and violate her free speech. The Constitutional Court of Spain rejected her appeal, ruling that her free speech did not protect her, and that
3125-481: Is critical of capitalism , particularly the neoliberal kind. The party wants to increase public spending and ban job cuts in profitable firms. It supports redistributive fiscal policies and a bigger welfare state . Podemos wants to regulate rental prices so they do not surpass 30% of mean income. The party wants to increase the minimum wage . The party supports a universal basic income (UBI) for everyone over 18 years of age in Spain. In January 2023,
3250-622: Is a war-like ultranationalism identified by the party with a palingenetic and biological vision of the country—the so-called España Viva —as well as a Catholicism-inspired culture. He says that ideological roots of the party's ultranationalism lie in incondicionalismo , 'unconditionalism', the nationalist discourse based on the "fear of amputation of the homeland" coined in the 19th century in Colonial Cuba against Cuban separatism, and autonomist concessions (replicated in Catalonia in
3375-461: Is currently led by party president Santiago Abascal , and vice president and secretary-general Ignacio Garriga . Vox has been described as right-wing and far-right . The party entered the Spanish parliament for the first time after winning seats in the April 2019 general election . Later that year, it received 3.6 million votes in the November 2019 general election , winning 52 seats and becoming
3500-463: Is not love, it's just vice". Vox positions itself strongly against illegal immigration , which, according to INE data, is a significant contributor to crime in Spain . Vox calls for the unconditional deportation of all illegal immigrants, as well as the legal ones who commit crimes; the tightening of Spanish immigration laws; legal actions against non-profits ( e.g. Proactiva Open Arms ) and organized crime facilitating illegal immigration; and
3625-492: Is opposed to the current parliamentary monarchy and wants to offer a referendum on its continuity, instead advocating for a federal , " plurinational " new republic . Furthermore, the party is supportive of direct democracy . The party and its former leader ( Pablo Iglesias Turrión ) support the right to self-determination of autonomous communities like Catalonia and the Basque Country . The party has called for
3750-606: The 2021 CPAC conference and refused to acknowledge Biden's victory. At the beginning of 2021, Vox's abstention was instrumental in securing European COVID-recovery funds on Socialist terms. Many Vox supporters considered this as the "largest error in Vox's history". During 2020 and 2021 electoral campaigns for regional elections in the Basque Country , Catalonia , and the Community of Madrid multiple legal electoral events of Vox were physically attacked by radical political opponents on
3875-591: The Chavismo . Since 2024, said accusations have made a comeback following the party recognising the results of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election (accused of fraud by the Venezuelan opposition ) by high ranking members such as Irene Montero and Juan Carlos Monedero . Podemos supports the right of self-determination for the Sahrawi people , seeking to establish high-level diplomatic relations between Spain and
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4000-794: The Congress of Deputies , and from February 2017 to January 2020 she was the Spokesperson for the Parliamentary Group Unidos Podemos-En Comú Podem-Galicia en Común in Congress. Irene María Montero Gil was born in the Moratalaz neighborhood of Madrid. She joined the Communist Youth Union of Spain (UJCE) in 2004. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Autonomous University of Madrid , and
4125-625: The European Conservatives and Reformists Party , having declined the invitation to join the Identity and Democracy group (which includes such far-right parties as National Rally , League , and Alternative for Germany ). In the second general election of the year in November, Vox came third and increased its number of deputies from 24 to 52. It was the most-voted party in the Region of Murcia and
4250-743: The General Council of the Judiciary Manuela Carmena in Madrid with Ahora Madrid , judge Xulio Ferreiro in A Coruña , doctor Martiño Noriega in Santiago , trade unionist Jorge Suárez in Ferrol , lawyer and activist Pedro Santisteve in Zaragoza with Zaragoza en Común and teacher José María González "Kichi" in Cádiz with Adelante Cádiz . In the lead up to the 2015 general election, Podemos adopted
4375-603: The International Criminal Court because of what she identified as ongoing "planned genocide " in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian peoples. In November 2023, Belarra called for sanctions on Israel and accused the European Commission of "hypocrisy". The support obtained by the new formation after the European elections in 2014 resulted in multiple analyses and reactions. While some sectors welcomed
4500-465: The La Manada rape case , in which consent for sexual intercourse had to be proven by affirmation. The change in the law allowed for convicted sex offenders to have their sentences reduced on appeal by the retroactivity of the law . Montero declared that the right-wing opposition used the retroactivity as a loophole to attack her, and she blamed the reductions on "machismo" of judges; in response to this, she
4625-786: The Ministry of Equality , and approved by Spanish government in June 2021. According to Vox, the law as proposed "attacks the rights of women, children, biology, and common sense". Vox congratulated the Hungarian parliament for passing legislation that would ban media and educational content which may be seen by underage persons from depicting LGBT individuals or addressing LGBT issues. Multiple Vox politicians have made allegedly disparaging statements about homosexuals. Thus, Fernando Paz Cristóbal [ ca ] (ex-leader of Vox in Albacete , who left
4750-751: The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and to expand the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara so that "it acquires competencies in the protection and promotion of the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Sahrawi population". Podemos reiterated its support for a referendum of self-determination after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez supported Morocco 's autonomy proposal by presenting
4875-586: The Spanish constitution so as to curb regional autonomy and abolish regional parliaments. Several founding members of the party (for example, Alejo Vidal-Quadras , José Antonio Ortega Lara , and Santiago Abascal ) had been members of the platform "reconversion.es", which had issued a manifesto in 2012 calling for a recentralization of the State. Vidal-Quadras was proclaimed as the first chairman in March 2014. Their initial funding, totalling nearly 972,000 euros, came in
5000-643: The Sumar coalition for the 2023 general election , but left it soon after. Podemos emerged from the Indignados movement against inequality and corruption in 2011. The group was inspired by the populist leaders of Latin America's Pink tide , which included Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Bolivia's Evo Morales . In January 2014, it released the manifesto Mover ficha: convertir la indignación en cambio político ("Move A Piece: Turn Indignation Into Political Change"), which
5125-457: The Treaty of Lisbon , abandoning the memorandum of understanding , withdrawing from some free trade agreements , and promoting referendums on any major constitutional reform. On environmentalism, it advocated reduction of fossil fuel consumption, promotion of public transport and renewable energy initiatives, reduction of industrial cash crop agriculture, and stimulating local food production by small and medium enterprises . Podemos
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5250-419: The castle doctrine , but does not support the right to carry arms or the free sale of firearms. Current party leaders, Santiago Abascal and Javier Ortega, are both licensed to carry handguns for self-defence due to recurrent threats to their lives for their political activities. Vox opposes same-sex marriage while supporting same-sex civil unions . The party has been accused of homophobia , which
5375-561: The exhumation of Francisco Franco . Vox advocates for the recentralization of Spain by abolishing Spain's autonomous communities , and strongly opposes separatist movements in the country , particularly the Catalan independence movement and Basque nationalism . Fighting the latter is a personal question for some founding members, including the current president Santiago Abascal, José Antonio Ortega Lara , and María Teresa López Álvarez , all of whom have had negative experiences due to
5500-519: The far-left of the political spectrum , Podemos has been described as a democratic socialist and left-wing populist party which holds anti-austerity , anti-corruption , and anti-establishment views. It promotes direct democracy , federalism , patriotism , republicanism , and an alternative social democracy to that of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) through populist rhetoric. Podemos presented
5625-826: The government of Venezuela following allegations of "murky" funding since many Podemos leaders were linked to Venezuela and other "revolutionary" governments in Latin America. Consulting work by several party members, including Iglesias, in leftist Latin American governments earned their consulting organisation, Center for Political and Social Studies Foundation (CEPS Foundation), €3.5 million, which helped fund their television debates. Juan Carlos Monedero , one of Podemos' founding members, received €425,000 for political consultancy work for Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Podemos called for an external auditor to observe accounts from February 2014 to December 2014, which showed that
5750-617: The regional parliament of Extremadura (who had dropped out of the PP parliamentary group) as a party member. On 2 December 2018, they won 12 parliamentary seats in the Andalusian regional election , entering a regional parliament for the first time. It supported the coalition regional government by Ciudadanos and the Popular Party. With this result, Vox was also given a first seat in the Senate , which
5875-410: The right to housing (38%), on improving public healthcare (31%) and on auditing and re-structuring the debt (23%). The ethical, political and structure documents proposed by the " Claro que Podemos ", which included Luis Alegre, Carolina Bescansa , Íñigo Errejón, Pablo Iglesias and Juan Carlos Monedero were approved by 80.7% of the vote, surpassing " Sumando Podemos " 12.3% of the vote, promoted by
6000-481: The upcoming general elections just hours before the deadline for the registration of coalitions with electoral authority. Podemos immediately came into conflict with Sumar and its leader Yolanda Díaz over the inclusion of Podemos candidates on the electoral lists . The main point of conflict was the supposed veto of Díaz over the prominent Podemos politician and Minister for Equality, Irene Montero , wife of Podemos founder and former leader, Pablo Iglesias . Montero
6125-517: The "Likes" of the rest of the parties combined, having 708,763, with more than 2.6 million views on its YouTube channel. In September 2014, the interview of Iglesias in Viajando con Chester had almost 3 million watchers, being the most watched programme in its timeslot with 14.5% of the audience share. In October 2014, Iglesias' participation in La Sexta Noche (in which he was also interviewed) rose
6250-457: The "orange fickle" of Citizens . In November 2018, during a party event in Murcia , the party's leader, Santiago Abascal , defined his party as "antifascist, anti-Nazi and anti-communist ". The party has been described as simply right-wing, a populist radical -right (in contrast to an extreme right), and far-right . According to certain analysis, the main tenets in Vox's ideology are: (i)
6375-472: The 1910s). Casals writes that the party's discourse has also revived the myth of the Antiespaña ("Anti-Spain"), an umbrella term created in the 1930s by the domestic ultranationalist forces to designate the (inner) "Enemies of Spain", creating a simplistic España viva/Antiespaña duality that comes handy for communicating via social media. Casals notes, regarding the external projection of its discourse, that
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#17328913835346500-430: The 1980s, thus likening the emergence of the party to an archaic stage of current radical right parties, more worried about the need to modernize their image than Vox; the latter's approach to cultural issues would be in line with old school Spanish nationalist parties, restricting the scope of "culture" to "language and tradition". The party has appealed to conspiracy theories invoking the figure of George Soros as
6625-632: The Congress meant that it lost its ability to appeal the government's legislature to the Supreme Court ; it had previously used this right to challenge Sánchez's legislation on transgender issues , euthanasia and the COVID-19 pandemic . After the election, some political journalists noted Spain had followed an opposite trend to other European countries such as Sweden, Finland and Italy where conservative-nationalist parties had scored strong results and opined Vox's communication style had turned off voters and that
6750-555: The European Parliament in the european elections held in June 2024, as head of list for Podemos. Following her election she was appointed Vice-president of The Left in the European Parliament. In July 2024 the Left group presented her as candidate to the Presidency of the European Parliament. On 3 July 2018, Montero gave birth to twins, Leo and Manuel, in her relationship with Pablo Iglesias, the leader of her party. Due to their premature birth ,
6875-410: The European Parliament, the six deputies of Vox are members of Patriots for Europe . Vox was founded on 17 December 2013, and publicly launched at a press conference in Madrid on 16 January 2014, as a split from the People's Party (PP). This schism was interpreted as an offshoot of " neoconservative " or " social conservative " PP party members. The party platform called for the rewriting of
7000-613: The Greek left-wing coalition Syriza , with the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo and even with the French right-wing National Front of Marine Le Pen . The spokesman for the People's Party María Dolores de Cospedal said that poll results show a radicalisation of the left vote. Esperanza Aguirre , another prominent member of the People's Party, accused Pablo Iglesias of "being with the Castrismo , with Chavismo and ETA ", which Iglesias responded to statements described as "slander" and announced he would consider legal action. The leaders of Podemos also tried to distance themselves from
7125-444: The MEPs Pablo Echenique , Teresa Rodríguez and Lola Sánchez in the vote for the structure document. In October 2014, Podemos decided not to stand candidates in the 2015 Spanish local elections . Instead, it decided that its members would support local grassroots candidacies,where the so-called "mayors of change" were successfully elected: anti-evictions activist Ada Colau in Barcelona with Barcelona en Comú , former member of
7250-400: The Madrid Press Association (APM), accusing Podemos of intimidating them because they published articles that were critical of the party. The Economist magazine has described the party as far-left . According to GlobalPost , Podemos and other parties of the left have suddenly grown because of Europe's economic difficulties. Unemployment, especially among young Spanish adults, has created
7375-439: The PP in cities such as Elche , Toledo , Valladolid , Guadalajara and Burgos . A general election took place in July 2023, for which the PP was widely forecast to win and obtain a majority with support from Vox. In what BBC News called a surprise result, Vox fell from 52 seats to 33, losing half a million votes; the PP took the most seats but fell short of a majority even with Vox's support. Vox's reduced presence in
7500-402: The Spanish section of the Trotskyist Fourth International , which had written the Mover ficha manifesto. One of the points highlighted by Iglesias was the derogation of the 135th article of the Constitution, which was made in 2011 by the major parties People's Party (PP) and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE); full application of the 128th article of the constitution ("All wealth of
7625-455: The UCM. Podemos' manifesto stated that it was necessary to create a party list for the 2014 European Parliament election , with the goal of opposing the dominant policies of the European Union from the left. On 14 January, Pablo Iglesias Turrión , a professor of political science at the UCM and a TV presenter, was announced as the head of the movement. The movement was organised by the party Anti-Capitalist Left ( Izquierda Anticapitalista ),
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#17328913835347750-428: The XII Legislature. Since 18 February 2017 she has held the position of Spokesperson of the United Confederal Group We Can-In Comú Podem-En Marea, being the youngest speaker of democracy. During the election campaign of 20 December 2015 Iglesias announced that Montero would be the vice president and minister of the Presidency of a hypothetical government of Podemos. In the elections of the Congress of Vistalegre II to
7875-426: The anti-COVID lockdown and follow-up restrictions, Vox routinely criticized government measures as inefficient, partisan, and partially unconstitutional. In April 2020 the party appealed to the Constitutional Court of Spain against the first State of Alarm (15 March – 21 June) declared by the government. In October 2020, Vox's parliamentary group at the Congress of Deputies tabled a motion of no confidence against
8000-408: The appeal was out of time. In November of 2023, Montero complied with the ruling. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Podemos (Spanish political party) Podemos ( Spanish: [poˈðemos] , translated in English as "We Can") is a left-wing to far-left political party in Spain . Founded in January 2014 by
8125-441: The assembly, to be chosen in open elections in which anybody could participate, with closed lists, with no limit to the number of lists which could be presented. The vote took place over the Internet on 12 and 13 June. Two lists were presented, one headed by Iglesias and the other promoted by the Círculo de Enfermería ("Nurses' circle"). The technical details of the election and the deadlines generated discussion within Podemos. In
8250-421: The audience share of the programme to 16,2%, which is its historical maximum. Iglesias' interview in Salvados also made the programme have its best ever audience, with a 23.8% and 5 million watchers. In late October, Podemos had more than 200,000 members. On 2 November 2014, El Pais published an opinion poll which gave Podemos 27.7% approval rating, compared to PSOE's 26.2% and PP's 20.7%; and gave Podemos
8375-481: The autonomous city of Ceuta . At the beginning of 2020, during the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic , Vox called for travel restrictions between China and Spain, and later between Italy and Spain, to safeguard against the "Chinese virus". At that time the epidemic was already in full swing in those countries, but it was prior to any COVID cases being officially confirmed within Spain in significant numbers. That position found no support among other parties, and it
8500-424: The beginning of pandemic, and the second State of Alarm. As reported on 22 October 2021, the Government of Spain ordered all fines collected in relation to the first State of Alarm to be returned to citizens. On 13 February 2022, Vox came third in the 2022 Castilian-Leonese regional election , raising its representation from 1 up to 13 seats, and becoming the key player for the rival People's Party (PP), who won
8625-412: The coalition governments they had formed in the regions of Aragón , Castile and León , Murcia , Valencian Community and Extremadura , as well as withdrawing their external support to the governments of the Balearic Islands and Cantabria . Defunct Vox identifies as a " right-wing without complexes" and regards itself as an alternative to both the "cowardly right" of the People's Party and
8750-423: The country in all its forms and no matter who owns it, is subordinated to the people's interest"); and maintaining abortion rights. They also demanded Spain exit from NATO and support self-determination rights. The Podemos movement was officially launched on 16 January 2014 in the Teatro del Barrio in the Lavapiés neighbourhood of Madrid, with a press conference attended by hundreds of people. The speakers at
8875-417: The current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez , bringing Santiago Abascal as alternative candidate. The motion failed to gain any support among the other parliamentary groups, gathering 52 'yes' votes (those of Vox legislators) and 298 'no' votes (the rest of the chamber). In November 2020 Vox appealed to the Constitutional Court of Spain against the second State of Alarm (October 25, 2020 – May 9, 2021) declared by
9000-399: The day after the elections; Iglesias also appeared on the front page of prominent Spanish newspapers. Before the elections, Podemos was already the most popular political force within social networks, but it had increased from 100,000 to 600,000 "Likes" on Facebook between May and July 2014. The CIS' quarterly survey, polling over July 2014 (two months after the elections) showed Podemos as
9125-533: The direction of Podemos was elected member of the State Citizen Council. She was the most voted woman, placing herself in fourth place, behind Pablo Iglesias, Pablo Echenique and Íñigo Errejón . She is currently a member of the Coordination Board of Podemos, secretary of Action in Congress. As a deputy, in June 2017 Montero became the first woman in the history of Spain to intervene in parliament on
9250-497: The disappearance of the Ciudadanos party (whose votes mostly went to the PP) had indirectly penalized Vox as the electoral system is weighted to favour bigger parties. Abascal partly blamed the People's Party whom he argued had been too triumphalist in campaigning on behalf of the right, claiming "They sold the bear's skin before they had even hunted it. That is clearly the reason why there was
9375-541: The elections, to form a government. Following this election result, and an unfolding leadership crisis in PP, Vox for the first time was recognized as the Spain's second political force, according to some opinion polls for the next general elections. In March 2022, it was announced that Vox would form government with the PP in Castile and León , taking three of ten ministerial positions including vice president for regional leader Juan García-Gallardo . Vox member Carlos Pollán
9500-466: The expectations to achieve significantly better results and become the key to the new regional government. In the aftermath of elections, despite initial promises to stay and lead Vox's opposition group in Andalusia, on 29 July 2022, Olona announced her decision to resign and left politics due to unnamed "medical reasons". In March 2023, Vox, for the second time, tabled a motion of no confidence against
9625-427: The failure of the 2015–2016 Spanish government formation negotiations to create a stable coalition government, on 2 May 2016 a second general election was called for June 2016. To contest the election, Podemos formed an electoral alliance with United Left , Equo and regional left-wing parties, the official name being announced on 13 May 2016 as Unidos Podemos ("United We Can"). The coalition received 21.2% of
9750-491: The fall of government talks with the PSOE after the April 2019 Spanish general election , the November 2019 Spanish general election , in which the party and its allies won 12.9% of the vote and 35 seats in the Congress of Deputies , resulted in the Sánchez II Government through a coalition government between Podemos and the PSOE, the first multi-party cabinet in the Spanish democratic era. The party took part in
9875-534: The first time the newly formed Vox fielded a candidate, with Vidal-Quadras running under its banner, though he narrowly failed to retain his seat in the European Parliament . Vidal Quadras later left the party due to both the political failure at the European election and his inability to impose his stances in the party. He would argue in 2018 that the party shifted from a " liberal conservative , Europeanist , and reformist " proposal (represented by himself), to
10000-638: The form of individual donations from supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and of People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), thanks to their "personal relationship" with Vidal-Quadras, who had supported the NCRI during his stint in the EU Parliament. There is no evidence that Vox has broken Spanish or EU funding rules accepting these donations. The 2014 European elections marked
10125-508: The fourth most popular party in Spain, since the November 2019 Spanish general election . Podemos has polled, on average, at 11% by National Parliament voting intention. The Secretary General is the head and leader of the party. Vox (political party) Vox ( Spanish pronunciation: [boɣs] ; Latin for 'voice'; often stylized in all caps ) is a national conservative political party in Spain . Founded in 2013, it
10250-498: The government of Pedro Sánchez, with Ramón Tamames as alternative, independent candidate. The motion failed with 53 votes in favour, 201 votes against, 91 abstentions, and four absentees. In May 2023, local and regional elections were held in Spain. Vox, as the minor partner, formed the government with the PP in the Valencian Community , though the PP ordered that Vox's lead candidate Carlos Flores would not take part in
10375-479: The government's efforts on a bill to allow anyone over the age of 14 to change gender legally without a medical diagnosis or hormone therapy. She debated the ramifications of the bill with Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo , who opposed it. In May 2022, Montero announced the implementation of the 028 Rainbow Service , an emergency service for victims of queerphobic hate crimes or discrimination. In August 2022, Spain passed legislation proposed by Montero since
10500-601: The government, due to his 2002 conviction for harassment of his ex-wife. After protracted negotiations, Vox also joined PP governments in Extremadura and Aragon . Despite not forming the government, Vox was awarded the speaker's role in the Parliament of the Balearic Islands in exchange for abstaining on the vote and thereby allowing a PP government. Again as the smaller of the two parties, Vox formed local governments with
10625-425: The government. In the face of the 2020 United States presidential election , Vox was fully supportive of President Donald Trump 's candidacy, even tweeting from its official account that Joe Biden was the preferred candidate of " El País , Podemos , Otegi , Maduro , China, Iran and pedophiles", which according to the international news agency EFE was echoing QAnon conspiracy theories . Vox took part in
10750-586: The high traffic. In August 2015, Podemos endorsed Jeremy Corbyn 's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election . The party's international secretariat released a statement that "In Podemos we share Jeremy Corbyn's view that another Europe is not just possible but necessary". It added: "Against the irresponsibility of the troika and the Eurogroup , against the Europe of financial lobbies and puppet representatives,
10875-512: The launch included Pablo Iglesias, Juan Carlos Monedero, Teresa Rodríguez , psychiatrist and member of the Marea Blanca Ana Castaño, Íñigo Errejón and Miguel Urbán . The party's fundamental goal was to oppose the austerity policies of the government. In order to run in the European elections of 2014, the members of the bare bones of Podemos set themselves three conditions: to receive the support of at least 50,000 people; that both
11000-489: The matter of prostitution , the party is split between abolitionists and those seeking to better regulate prostitution. Podemos supports LGBT rights . The party is responsible for the Ley Trans , a law focused on gender self-determination and trans rights that has created a rift in the government. Podemos supports the right to vote for immigrants, particularly Moroccans, as part of their "political rights", and
11125-435: The militarization of problematic borders. The party emphasizes its support for legal immigration complied with the Spanish law . It promotes a stricter control of immigration according to the needs of the national economy, with preference for immigration from Hispanic America on the premise of easier integration of such immigrants into Spanish society, as opposed to those from Islamic countries . Opponents of Vox consider
11250-499: The new alliance of left-wing parties for the upcoming general election scheduled for December 2023. Poor results for the ruling PSOE , Podemos and other left-wing parties in the Spanish local and regional elections held on 28 May 2023 led to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling for a snap general election, five months earlier than originally planned. This resulted in a speeding up of the negotiation process with Sumar. On 9 June, Podemos came to an agreement to run together with Sumar at
11375-462: The newborn children were kept in the intensive care at a public hospital of Madrid. On 4 August 2019, she gave birth to their third child, Aitana. On June 6, 2023, in a civil case, the Supreme Court ruled that Montero had falsely accused María Sevilla's ex-husband of abuse without evidence. The court ordered Montero to pay €18,000 in compensation to the plaintiff, delete a tweet in which she shared
11500-537: The notion to "safe borders" in opposition to the " immigrant invasion ". The party supports preventive measures against crime, including increasing sentences for violent crimes and imposing life sentences for sex offenders and abusers. Casals writes that Vox's specific brand of Spanish nationalism is linked to an unconditional support of the State Security Forces and Corps . Vox has proposed that citizens should be allowed to keep arms at home, and supports
11625-417: The outcome of the election: "We have lost these European elections. They have been won by the People's Party. We cannot be happy about this". He stated that his objective is to "move forward until we throw the PP and the PSOE out of power" and that "[w]e will now work with other parties from the south of Europe to make it clear that we don't want to be a German colony". Iglesias said Podemos MEPs would not take
11750-463: The party xenophobic and anti-immigrant . Vox has been described as nativist . The party is very critical of multiculturalism and advocates natalist policies. The party has been accused of giving credit to the Great Replacement theory . Vox supports increasing the requirements to acquire the Spanish nationality , which would include the lack of a criminal record , increasing
11875-432: The party as well as resolutions the party would adopt. Any member of Podemos could present a document and these would be adopted or rejected in a vote with all members of Podemos participating. These documents would determine the structure of the party. Internal elections would then take place, again with the participation of all members of Podemos, to fill the positions defined by this structure. The citizens' assembly held
12000-443: The party denies. Party leader Santiago Abascal has denied allegations of homophobia, stating in an interview that Vox is in no way a homophobic party and that it merely opposes " LGBT ideology ", going on to say that many homosexuals are party members, and that he personally has gay friends. José María Marco , a gay conservative , contested the April 2019 Senate election in Madrid as the candidate from Vox, and also ran second in
12125-441: The party has called for the regularisation of over half a million of illegal immigrants . According to Okdiario , Podemos "tries to revitalise its electoral expectations in a coveted voting camp: the immigrant one". Podemos supports legalising and regulating cannabis in Spain . The party also supported the legalisation of euthanasia , which was legalised in Spain in March 2021. Podemos opposes economic inequality and
12250-430: The party has positioned itself as a defender of the " natural family " by advocating traditional family values and natalism . Party member Rocío de Meer has accused the left of trying to "abolish the family". The party opposes gender ideology . Vox has been described as anti-feminist , and wants to repeal the gender violence law , which they see as "discriminatory against one of the sexes", and replace it with
12375-520: The party has reanimated the concept of " Hispanidad "; party leader Abascal has stated that an immigrant coming from a "brotherly Hispanic-American country" is not comparable to the immigration coming from " Islamic countries ". According to Guillermo Fernández Vázquez, Vox's positions, which he described as " economically anti-statist and neoliberal" as well as " morally authoritarian", is similar to positions held by Jörg Haider 's Freedom Party of Austria or Jean Marie Le Pen 's National Front from
12500-504: The party in 2019) told in 2013: "If I had a gay son I would help him, there are therapies to correct such psychology". Francisco Serrano Castro (ex-leader of Vox in Andalusia , who left in 2020) tweeted in 2017: "Homosexuals have penises and lesbians have vulvas, and don't be fooled, nobody cares about it". Juan E. Pflüger (director of communications of Vox in 2019) tweeted in 2013: "Why do gays celebrate Saint Valentine's day, if their thing
12625-573: The party list for the 2019 Madrilenian regional election . In some discourses, party leaders have suggested that their opposition to mass immigration from Islamic countries effectively protects the LGBT community , as homosexuality is largely prosecuted in Islamic cultures , and that most immigrants do not alter their attitude upon arrival to Spain. Vox opposes the Ley Trans , developed by Irene Montero and
12750-510: The party proposed the amount to be between €700 and €1,400 a month. The party is opposed to climate change and wants to create laws against "energetic poverty". Podemos is opposed to any increases in military spending and supports the withdrawal from NATO of Spain. Podemos considers itself a pro-European party, but has expressed displeasure with the current functioning of the European Union , and has been described as taking
12875-447: The political scientist Pablo Iglesias Turrión as part of the anti-austerity movement in Spain , the party is currently led by Secretary-general Ione Belarra . Podemos arose in the context of the economic crisis at the start of the 2010s and the aftermath of the 15-M Movement protests against inequality and corruption. A fast growing movement, the party took part in the 2014 European Parliament election , winning almost 8% of
13000-496: The premises of "Vox's legitimate electoral events in some regions being provocative acts". The view of the events as provocations was endorsed by high ranking UP members, including their speaker Pablo Echenique , and their leader, the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain at the time, Pablo Iglesias . On 14 July 2021, in response to the Vox's appeal the previous year, the Constitutional Court of Spain declared by
13125-526: The programme and the lists of candidates be prepared through open participation; and that unity be sought with other parties and movements of the left, such as United Left , the Popular Unity Candidacy , the X Party , the Andalusian Workers' Union , Anova and the citizens' mareas ("tides"). The 50,000 signatures were obtained in less than 24 hours and the Podemos website crashed due to
13250-493: The release of jailed Catalan separatist leaders on trial in Spain's Supreme Court. Podemos supported the exhumation of Francisco Franco . Podemos has been described as a progressive party. The party considers itself egalitarian , secularist , anti-racist , anti-fascist and environmentalist . The party is strongly feminist and has advocated for feminism as a subject in schools. The party supports abortion being legal, even without parental consent. On
13375-435: The results, there were also expressions of concern. Pedro Sanchez , Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since July 2014, branded Podemos populist on numerous occasions at the beginning of his term while much of its electorate opted for the new party. The New York Times stated that "the party's 36-page campaign program reads like a wish list, with little detail about how it could be financed at
13500-475: The same time, Vox went forward with their own global party conference on 8 March in Vistalegre, where party supporters from all parts of Spain were invited. The conference resulted in numerous cases of COVID infection, including confirmed cases of COVID transmission between members of Vox leadership. This fact was often brought up by Vox opponents to criticize Vox attitude towards COVID situation in Spain. During
13625-621: The second most popular party regarding direct intention of vote, surpassing the PSOE, but being a 0.9% behind the PP. In late July, Podemos started to allow individuals to sign up, with 32,000 people registering as members in the first 48 hours through Podemos' website for free. In the first 20 days, Podemos already had about 100,000 members, becoming the third largest Spanish party by membership, surpassing United Left (IU), Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD), Convergence and Union (CiU) and Basque Nationalist Party (PNV/EAJ). In August 2014, Podemos already had 442,000 more "Likes" on Facebook than
13750-499: The standard MEP salary of more than € 8,000 a month, stating that "not one of our MEPs will earn more than €1,930, an amount that's three times the minimum wage in Spain". On 5 June 2014, Pablo Iglesias Turrión announced that the Asamblea Ciudadana "Sí se puede" (Citizens' Assembly "Yes, It Can Be Done") would take place in the autumn. Iglesias also announced that a team of twenty-five people would be responsible for preparing
13875-663: The strongest performance for a third party in Spain since the Transition - with the previous one being 23 seats for the PCE in the 1979 elections . The party was the most voted force in the provinces of Barcelona , Tarragona , Gipuzkoa and Alava , and surpassed the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party also in Madrid , A Coruña , Pontevedra , Navarre , Castellón , Valencia , Alicante , Las Palmas and Balearic Islands . Following
14000-501: The terrorist group ETA . Vox promotes the illegalization of separatist parties in Spain, such as EH Bildu or ERC , and opposed the pardoning of Catalan independence activists convicted for organizing an independence referendum. The party's centralist discourse incorporates economic arguments, claiming that current structure of autonomous and local governments in Spain are responsible for significant superfluous budget spending. Vox has been described as socially conservative and
14125-400: The third-largest party in the Congress of Deputies . Its public support reached its peak within the next few years, according to the results of subsequent regional elections and opinion polling , but in the 2023 Spanish general election showed worse results: a loss of 19 seats in parliament (albeit whilst remaining the third-largest political party in Spain with roughly 3 million votes). In
14250-404: The total income from both private donations and state subsidies was at about €947,000. Among the largest donors to the party were Podemos' own five MEPs, who donated €52,000 in 2014 from their salaries. Since March 2015, journalists have been critical of the relationship between the political party and the traditional media. In March 2017, around a dozen Spanish journalists filed a complaint with
14375-603: The vote and five seats out of 54, outperforming the polls. The party would go on to take part in the 2015 and 2016 Spanish general elections , becoming the country's third largest political force, but underperforming against the PSOE in the battle for the hegemony in the Spanish left. On 9 May 2016, Podemos formed the Unidos Podemos electoral alliance with the United Left , Equo , and regionalist left-wing parties. After
14500-513: The vote. Podemos formed the Adelante Andalucía coalition with the left, the Greens and Primavera Andaluza to contest the 2018 Andalusian regional election . In April 2023, Podemos declined to join left-wing alliance with new party Sumar because of differences over how candidates are selected. It was intended that these differences be resolved and negotiated on before Podemos would join
14625-500: The votes respectively. Amidst the Spanish constitutional crisis precipitated by the Catalan referendum , Vox opted to not participate in the Catalan regional elections of 2017 . After the Catalan declaration of independence , the party sued the Parliament of Catalonia and several independentist politicians. Its membership grew by 20% in the span of forty days immediately following this action. On 10 September 2018, Vox enlisted Juan Antonio Morales , an independent legislator in
14750-515: Was also excluded from the lists. Ione Belara , the General Secretary of Podemos, was placed fifth on the list for Madrid. In the election, Podemos won five seats in the Congress of Deputies, out of 31 for Sumar in total. On 5 December 2023, Podemos announced that they had broken with Sumar, and its five MPs moved from the Sumar group to the mixed group in Congress. A party on the left-wing or
14875-427: Was and dubbed a "liberator of rapists" by Vox congress member Carla Toscano , who criticised the minister's portrayal of judges. By 1 December, 43 convicted sex offenders had their sentences reduced by up to seven years as a result of the new law. On 14 December, the Supreme Court of Spain upheld the reductions, as accused in Spain who are not at the end of the appeals process have the right to be re-sentenced under
15000-444: Was appointed head of Social Movements and began to lead the cabinet of the leader of Podemos, Pablo Iglesias , at which time she postponed her doctoral thesis project on new methods of educational inclusion to dedicate herself entirely to Podemos. Montero was a candidate for Madrid to the Congress of Deputies for Podemos in the elections of 20 December 2015, being elected deputy of the XI and
15125-415: Was criticized as xenophobic rhetoric. The party claims that serious counter-COVID measures were deliberately delayed in Spain by the government, which hid the information and downplayed known risks to allow for mass public events on International Women's Day (8 March) to take place, as these events were important for the left wing agenda of the newly formed coalition government of PSOE and UP . At
15250-497: Was elected President of the Cortes of Castile and León , the position of speaker . This represents the first participation of Vox in any regional government. On 19 June 2022, Vox came third in the 2022 Andalusian regional elections . With Macarena Olona as the leading candidate, the party improved over the previous regional elections, gaining about 100k more votes, and two more seats in the Parliament of Andalusia , but failed short of
15375-405: Was not to be included on the Sumar list for the Madrid constituency. This move was widely condemned by the leadership and supporters of Podemos, with former leader Iglesias calling it "a political mistake"' and asking Díaz to rectify it; he stated that he found it hard in the situation to separate "the personal from the political". In addition, Podemos spokesperson in the Congress, Pablo Echenique ,
15500-560: Was signed by thirty intellectuals and personalities, including Juan Carlos Monedero , Alberto San Juan , associate professor of political science at the National University of Distance Education (UNED) Jaime Pastor, the writer and philosopher Santiago Alba Rico, the former leader of the Left Trade Union Current Cándido González Carnero and Bibiana Medialdea, associate professor of applied economy at
15625-440: Was taken by Francisco José Alcaraz . The party obtained 10.26% of votes in the April 2019 general election , electing 24 Deputies and entering the Congress of Deputies for the first time. Later, the party entered the European Parliament for the first time with 6.2% of the votes and three Eurodeputies , which after Brexit became four. After the election, the party joined the European Conservatives and Reformists group and
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