United Left (Spain)

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Izquierda Unida
 
Leader Gaspar Llamazares
 
Founded April 1986
Headquarters C/Olimpo 35, Madrid
 
Ideology Eurocommunism, Communism, Democratic socialism, Marxism, Green politics (minority)
International affiliation Party of the European Left
European Parliament Group European United Left–Nordic Green Left
Official colours Green, Red
 
Website
www.izquierda-unida.es

United Left (Izquierda Unida) is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. It was formed by several groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was always dominated by the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). The Carlist and Humanist Party were also founding members of the coalition but they parted ways in 1987.

Congress seats from 1977 (as PCE) to 2008.
Congress seats from 1977 (as PCE) to 2008.

After the electoral fall of the PCE in 1982 (from 10% to 3%), IU slowly improved its results reaching 9% in 1993 (1,800,000 votes) and nearly 11% in 1996 (2,600,000 votes). From 1999 it went into decline, with its support slipping to 5% in 2000. In that election it signed a pact with the Socialist Party (PSOE).

From 1986 to 2001, its leader was the general secretary of the PCE, Julio Anguita. From 2001 on it has been Gaspar Llamazares who resigned following poor election results in 2008. IU has an important support base in Andalusia, Madrid and Asturias, following the communist base of the PCE.

Following the tradition of the Spanish left since the formation of PSUC in 1936 (as communists and socialists joined forces in Catalunya), IU doesn't have any organization of its own in Catalonia. Until 1998 the referent of IU in Catalonia was Iniciativa per Catalunya (now known as IC-V). But IC moved towards the centre[citation needed], and broke relations with IU. A split in PSUC followed and a new Catalonian alliance, Esquerra Unida i Alternativa (EUiA) was formed as the new Catalonian referent of IU.

Paco Frutos campaigning in 2005 for IU from a PCE meeting (Chilean flags are visible).
Paco Frutos campaigning in 2005 for IU from a PCE meeting (Chilean flags are visible).

IU contested the Spanish general election, 2008 in coalition with IC-V. The coalition got 963,040 votes (3.8%) and 2 MPs, its worst ever result. The D'Hondt method regulates the allocation of seats in the Spanish Congress and favours the main lists in each electoral district. Since IU lists usually finish in third place or lower in each district, their share of seats in the Congress has usually been lower than their share of votes.

IU officially has around 70,000 activists and more than 2,500 councillors.

[edit] Federations of IU

  • Andalusia: Izquierda Unida Los Verdes - Convocatoría por Andalucía (Green / United Left - Assembly for Andalusia)
  • Aragon: Izquierda Unida Aragón (United Left of Aragon)
  • Asturias: Izquierda Xunida d'Asturies (United Left of Asturias)
  • Balearic Islands: Esquerra Unida de les Illes Balears (United Left of Balearic Islands)
  • Canary Islands: Izquierda Unida de Canarias (United Left of the Canary Islands)
  • Cantabria: Izquierda Unida de Cantabria (Cantabrian United Left)
  • Castilla-La Mancha: Izquierda Unida - Izquierda de Castilla-La Mancha (United Left - Castilla-La Mancha Left)
  • Castilla y León: Izquierda Unida de Castilla y León (United Left of Castilla-León)
  • Ceuta: Izquierda Unida de Ceuta (United Left of Ceuta)
  • Euskadi: Ezker Batua - Berdeak (Basque United Left). Has a seat in the Basque Government.
  • Extremadura: Izquierda Unida - Federación de Extremadura (United Left - Extremadura Federation)
  • Galicia: Esquerda Unida-Izquierda Unida (United Left of Galicia)
  • La Rioja: Izquierda Unida - La Rioja (United Left-La Rioja)
  • Madrid: Izquierda Unida de la Comunidad de Madrid (United Left of the Community of Madrid)
  • Melilla: Izquierda Unida - Federación de Melilla (United Left - Melilla Federation)
  • Murcia: Izquierda Unida - Región de Murcia (United Left - Region of Murcia)
  • Navarra: Izquierda Unida de Navarra - Nafarroako Ezker Batua (United Left of Navarra)
  • Valencian Country: Esquerra Unida del País Valencià (United Left of the Valencian Country)

[edit] External links

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