United Left (Spain) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
United Left
Izquierda Unida
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| General Coordinator | Antonio Maíllo |
| Founded | April 1986 (as coalition) 2 November 1992 (as party federation) |
| Youth wing | Área de Juventud de Izquierda Unida |
| LGBT wing | ALEAS |
| Membership (2023) |  18,000 |
| Ideology | Communism Socialism Republicanism |
| Political position | Left-wing to far-left |
| National affiliation | The Left (2009–2014) Plural Left (2011) (2011–2015) Plural Left (2014) (2014–2019) Popular Unity (2015–2016) Unidas Podemos (2016–2023) Sumar (since 2023) |
| European affiliation | Party of the European Left |
| International affiliation | IMCWP |
| Colours | Red |
| Congress of Deputies |
5 / 350
|
| Spanish Senate |
0 / 266
|
| European Parliament |
0 / 61
|
| Regional Parliaments |
10 / 1,268
|
| Local Government |
1,678 / 67,515
|
| Website | |
| izquierdaunida.org | |
United Left (which is Izquierda Unida in Spanish, often called IU) is a political group in Spain. It started in 1986 as a team of several left-wing organizations. The most important group in this team was the Communist Party of Spain.
IU began as a group of seven parties working together for elections. Today, the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) is the main part of IU at the national level. However, IU also includes other regional parties, political groups, and people who are not part of a specific party. It works like a permanent group of different parties.
From 2016 to 2023, IU was part of the Unidas Podemos group in the Spanish Parliament. In 2020, it joined a national government for the first time, with one minister. For the 2023 general election, IU joined the Sumar platform.
Contents
History of United Left
After the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) did not do well in the 1982 election, its leaders thought they needed to work with other left-wing groups. They wanted to form a bigger team to challenge the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).
United Left slowly got better results in elections. In 1989, they reached about 9% of the votes. By 1996, they got almost 11% of the votes. The groups that first formed IU included the Communist Party of Spain, the Progressive Federation, and the Republican Left.
At first, IU had a strong, challenging approach against the PSOE. They often saw PSOE as similar to the People's Party (PP).
After some difficult elections in 1999, IU decided to work more with the PSOE. They agreed to team up for the 2000 general election. They also decided to work together with PSOE at local levels.
Today, United Left has about 18,000 members.
Groups within United Left
United Left is made up of different political parties and groups that work together. The main party is the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). Other groups have joined or rejoined over the years, like the Republican Left and the Unitarian Candidacy of Workers. This way, many different voices on the left can work as one team.
United Left in different regions
United Left has groups in many different parts of Spain. These regional groups work on local issues and also support the main goals of United Left. For example, there are groups like "United Left of Aragon" and "United Left of Asturias." This helps the party connect with people all over the country.
Leaders of United Left
| Name | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gerardo Iglesias | 1986 | |
| Julio Anguita | 1986–1999 | |
| Francisco Frutos | 1999-2001 | |
| Gaspar Llamazares | 2001–2008 | |
| Cayo Lara | 2008–2016 | |
| Alberto Garzón | 2016–2023 |
Electoral results of United Left
United Left has taken part in many elections in Spain, both for the national parliament (Cortes Generales) and the European Parliament.
In the national elections, IU has won different numbers of seats over the years. They started with 7 seats in 1986 and reached their highest number of seats (21) in 1996. Sometimes they have worked with other parties, like Plural Left, Popular Unity, Unidas Podemos, and more recently, Sumar. They have been in opposition most of the time, but also supported governments or joined a coalition government, like in 2019.
For the European Parliament elections, where Spain elects members to represent it in Europe, IU has also seen its number of seats change. They won 3 seats in 1987 and reached 9 seats in 1994. In recent elections, they have continued to be part of larger groups to gain seats.
Images for kids
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This chart shows how many seats United Left (and its earlier form, PCE) won in the Spanish Congress from 1977 to 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Izquierda Unida (España) para niños
