Share
The stakes in the Spanish election are high, both in Spain and at the European level.
Greens and progressives have joined forces in the Sumar alliance for the snap elections on Sunday 23 July, to strive for a Green, social and feminist Spain. Sumar's leader Yolanda Díaz is known for her outstanding work as Minister of Labour, and she is now aiming to become Spain's first female Green Prime Minister.
Mélanie Vogel and Thomas Waitz, Co-Chairs of the European Green Party, comment: "Sumar embodies hope and progress for Spain. They confront the right-wing Partido Popular (PP) who spreads lies to create a climate of fear".
The PP, a member of the European People's Party (EPP), has already crossed the line into collaboration with the far right by forming regional governments with Vox in Castile and Leon, Valencia, and Extremadura.
If Spain would shift to a far-right coalition, this raises the dark prospect of a reactionary alliance in the European Council around Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (ECR-FdI), Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (ECR-PiS) and a right-wing Spanish government. "They want to turn back the clock on the many political advances made on women's rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, environmental and climate policy, and social security. Fortunately, Spanish civil society is alive and kicking", Vogel and Waitz say.
Key Sumar proposals include the creation of 500,000 green jobs, the progressive reduction of the working week to 32 hours and the deployment of a universal inheritance of 20,000 euro for all young people who turn 18.
“One must be careful with polls, but they show a neck-and-neck race between the Left and the Right. Therefore, the vote of each and every individual Spaniard will count. On Sunday, they have the choice between two completely different worlds. So, dear Spanish friends, please go out and vote on Sunday and encourage your friends, colleagues, and family to do the same", Mélanie Vogel and Thomas Waitz conclude.
