Unidos Podemos

Unidos Podemos
Leader Pablo Iglesias
Founded 9 May 2016
Political position Left-wing
Slogan La sonrisa de un país
(The smile of a country)[1]
Members
Congress of Deputies
71 / 350
Senate
23 / 266
Website
lasonrisadeunpais.es

Unidos Podemos (Spanish: [uˈniðos poˈðemos], translated to United We Can),[2] formerly known simply as Podemos–IU, is a left-wing electoral alliance formed by Podemos, United Left, Equo and allied left-wing parties in May 2016 to contest the 2016 Spanish general election. The alliance's official pre-agreement was announced on 9 May 2016 after weeks of negotiations.

History

Background

While campaigning for the 2015 general election, United Left (IU) promoted the creation of, and later joined, the Now in Common (Ahora en Común, AeC) platform, seeking a wide alliance with other left-wing parties.[3] After Podemos rejected invitations to join to what some members of this party called an "acronym soup", heightened after the failure of Catalunya Sí que es Pot in the 2015 Catalan election,[4] the AeC platform gradually lost momentum: its founding members left the project and the brand name was lost. Eventually, the platform turned into the Popular Unity (IU-UPeC) electoral coalition without having fulfilled its initial aspirations.[5]

Negotiations

From 20 April 2016, Podemos and Popular Unity were reported to be in negotiations to form a joint electoral list for upcoming general election aimed at relegating the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) into third place.[6][7] Leaders from both parties denied that any agreement had been reached, and stated that they "would not do anything until it [the new election] was sure", but confirmed that unofficial talks had begun.[8] More than one hundred intellectuals and artists, including El Gran Wyoming, Antonia San Juan, Carlos Bardem, Fernando Tejero or Luis Tosar, signed a manifesto calling for Podemos, IU and their regional alliances to "join forces" for the coming election.[9] On the other hands, some member parties of IU such as Open Left, led by former IU leader, Gaspar Llamazares, were opposed to the alliance from the beginning.[10]

Among the supporters of such an alliance was one Podemos' founders, Juan Carlos Monedero—who proposed that both parties should come together under the name "Podemos En Común" (Spanish for We Can In Common).[11] Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, also voiced her support for such a pact stating that "I would see as positive that it could be put together, always with respect",[12] her En Comú Podem regional alliance having already seen both parties working together in Catalonia. Valencian Vice President Mònica Oltra had also commented that she would see a Podemos–IU alliance as "good", so as to "make every vote count" and for "six million votes having a correct translation in deputies", in reference to the Spanish electoral system panning IU in the 2015 election.[13]

Pablo Iglesias and Alberto Garzón announcing their alliance ahead of the 2016 general election.

By 30 April 2016, both Podemos and IU acknowledged that formal coalition talks had started and that, despite differences over the coalition name and the composition of party lists, with discussions continuing throughout the following week.[14] Concurrently, IU submitted its plan for an alliance with Podemos to a membership vote held on 2–4 May,[15] which received 85% of the vote in favour.[16] Despite the ongoing negotiations on 4 May,[17][18] Podemos and IU leaders took the coalition between both of their parties for granted, setting the People's Party (PP) as their main electoral rival and seeking to marginalise the PSOE.[19] It was reported that both parties intended to formally announce their alliance during the 5th anniversary of the 15-M Movement.[20]

On 9 May 2016 Pablo Iglesias of Podemos and Alberto Garzón of IU officially announced an alliance between their respective parties,[21][22] with both leaders symbolically sealing their pact through an embrace at Puerta del Sol in Madrid, landmark of the 15-M movement.[23] The pact guaranteed that 1/6 of the candidates obtained by the coalition—as planned and without including the regional coalitions En Comú Podem, En Marea and És el moment—were to be awarded to IU candidates. In addition, the distinct identity of each party was to be preserved. Podemos, IU and Equo put the alliance up to votes from their respective memberships on 10–11 May, all of which overwhelmingly supported the pact.[24][25]

10–11 May IU referendum[26]
Choice Votes %
Yes Yes 20,302 87.85
No 2,433 10.53
Invalid or blank votes 374 1.62
Total votes 23,109 100.00
Total census and turnout 72,041 32.08
Source: Podemos
  
10–11 May Podemos referendum[27]
Choice Votes %
Yes Yes 141,649 98.00
No 2,787 1.93
Invalid or blank votes 104 0.07
Total votes 144,540 100.00
Active voters and turnout 239,702 60.30
Total census and turnout 413,915 34.92
Source: Podemos
  
10–11 May Equo referendum[28]
Choice Votes %
Yes Yes 858 91.96
No 56 6.00
Invalid or blank votes 19 2.04
Total votes 933 100.00
Total census and turnout 3,394 27.49
Source: eldiario.es.[28]

On 13 May 2016, it was announced that the alliance would be named "Unidos Podemos" (Spanish for United We Can).[2]

Other incorporations

Discussions between Podemos and Més per Mallorca (Més) started in the Balearic Islands by late April ahead of a prospective electoral alliance, aiming at forming a "grand coalition of the left" in the islands.[29] Despite initial disagreements over Més's place in the Congress lists, both parties finally reached an agreement on 13 May 2016 to run together in the Balearics under the "Units Podem Més" label (Catalan for United We Can More).[30][31]

Earlier, on 11 May 2016, Navarrese party Batzarre—from 2011 within the Izquierda-Ezkerra alliance with IU in Navarre—had voted for joining the Podemos–IU alliance.[32] That same day, For a Fairer World (Por un Mundo más Justo, PUM+J), which had previously participated in left-wing alliances such as Ahora Madrid, had announced its intention to join the alliance with 61% of its members favouring the pact.[33] Also joining the alliance was Zaragoza in Common (ZEC), the municipal alliance created for the 2015 municipal election in the city of Zaragoza and which went on to win the city's government.[34]

2016 General Election

The results of the alliance between Podemos and IU were "highly disappointing" as Pablo Iglesias said the electoral night, however the alliance itself was called 'the right path'. Unidos Podemos get 71 seats, the same as in December, losing near 1,1 million votes.

Member parties

Nationwide main components:

Regional components:

Minor/other components:

Electoral performance

Cortes Generales

Election Leader Votes % # Seats Outcome Notes
Congress Senate
2016 Pablo Iglesias 5,087,538 21.15 #3
71 / 350
16 / 208
 PP minority Includes Podemos and IU

Symbols

Ballot logo 
Official logo 
Official campaign logo 

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Unidos Podemos.

References

  1. ↑ "Unidos Podemos shows its logo and campaign slogan: the smile of a country" (in Spanish). 20 Minutos. 2016-06-02.
  2. 1 2 "'Unidos Podemos', the name for the Podemos–IU alliance" (in Spanish). El País. 2016-05-13.
  3. ↑ "Podemos, IU, Equo and municipal candidacies' members join a citizen platform for the confluence ahead of the general election" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2015-07-08.
  4. ↑ "Podemos' sectors close the door to the confluence with IU after the 27-S failure" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2015-09-29.
  5. ↑ "Now in Common changes its name to Popular Unity" (in Spanish). El País. 2015-10-22.
  6. ↑ "Podemos and IU finalize a pact to concur together if there is a new election" (in Spanish). El Periódico. 2016-04-20.
  7. ↑ "Podemos and IU advance towards a pact to overcome the PSOE on 26-J" (in Spanish). La Razón. 2016-04-24.
  8. ↑ "Podemos opens itself to negotiate a statewide agreement with IU" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-04-20.
  9. ↑ "José Sacristán, Coque Malla, Mario Gas and other artists demand IU and Podemos to join for the next election" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2016-04-25.
  10. ↑ "Llamazares will vote 'No' to the IU and Podemos pact: "The Devil is within the details"" (in Spanish). lainformacion.com. 2016-05-09.
  11. ↑ "Monedero insists on the Podemos En Común formula and believes Garzón will not have IU's identity prevail over what people ask" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-04-21.
  12. ↑ "Colau pushes Podemos to run in coalition with United Left" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2016-04-12.
  13. ↑ "Oltra, supportive of the confluence between Podemos and IU to "make every vote count"" (in Spanish). Europa Press. 2016-04-12.
  14. ↑ "Podemos and IU acknowledge that they have differences over "important points" but commit to keep talking" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-04-30.
  15. ↑ "IU's question to its membership: "Do you approve of an electoral coalition with Podemos other forces?"" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-04-29.
  16. ↑ "IU membership approves an electoral coalition with Podemos" (in Spanish). El País. 2016-05-05.
  17. ↑ "Podemos and IU start working in a joint manifesto" (in Spanish). El País. 2016-05-04.
  18. ↑ "Podemos and IU negotiate against time a left pact for 26-J" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2016-05-04.
  19. ↑ "Garzón says the alliance between Podemos and IU could fight for top on 26-J" (in Spanish). Público. 2016-05-04.
  20. ↑ "Podemos and IU will formalize their alliance on 15-M during a first campaign rally" (in Spanish). La Razón. 2016-05-04.
  21. ↑ "Podemos and IU seal alliance to run together in the election" (in Spanish). El País. 2016-05-09.
  22. ↑ "Podemos and IU reach accord to concur together in the 26-J election" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-05-09.
  23. ↑ "Iglesias and Garzón announce their pact through a hug at Puerta del Sol, landmark of the 15-M" (in Spanish). Yahoo Noticias. 2016-05-09.
  24. ↑ "IU will ask its membership again on the alliance with Podemos" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-05-07.
  25. ↑ Equo (2016-05-10). "Equo will contest the 26-J election in coalition with Podemos and United Left" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  26. ↑ "IU membership support by 87.8% the coalition with Podemos" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2016-05-12.
  27. ↑ "Podemos membership support by 98% the alliance with IU" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2016-05-12.
  28. 1 2 "Equo's membership support contesting the 26-J in coalition with Podemos" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-05-04.
  29. ↑ "Més "welcomes" Podemos to form a grand coalition of the left" (in Spanish). Diario de Mallorca. 2016-04-27.
  30. ↑ "Podemos and Més agree. List's number 3 will be for Més" (in Spanish). ciutat.es. 2016-05-13.
  31. ↑ "Més Assembly accepts running with Podemos in the election" (in Spanish). Diario de Mallorca. 2016-05-13.
  32. ↑ "94% of Batzarre membership supports joining Podemos and IUN" (in Spanish). Navarra.com. 2016-05-11.
  33. ↑ "The For a Fairer World party joins the Podemos–IU alliance" (in Spanish). eldiario.es. 2016-05-11.
  34. ↑ "Zaragoza in Common ratifies joining the coalition between Podemos and United Left" (in Spanish). Heraldo. 2016-05-12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.