United Left ( , IU) is a federative political movement in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

that was first organized as a

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

in 1986, bringing together several left-wing political organizations, grouped primarily around the

Communist Party of Spain The Communist Party of Spain (; PCE) is a communist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is currently part of Sumar. Two of its politicians are Spanish government ministers: Yolanda Díaz (Minister of L ...

. IU was founded as an electoral coalition of seven parties, but the

(PCE) is the only remaining integrated member of the IU at the national level. Despite that, IU brings together other regional parties, political organizations, and independents. It currently takes the form of a permanent federation of parties. IU took part in the

Unidas Podemos Unidas Podemos (), formerly called Unidos Podemos () and also known in English as United We Can, was a democratic socialist electoral alliance formed by Podemos, United Left, and other left-wing to far-left parties in May to contest the 2016 S ...

coalition and the corresponding parliamentary group in the

Congreso de los Diputados The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has 350 members elected from fifty-two constituencie ...

between 2016 and 2023. Since January 2020, it participated for the first time in a national

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

, with one minister. For the 2023 general election, IU took part in the Sumar platform.

History

Following the electoral failure of the PCE in the 1982 general election (going from 10% to 4% of the votes), PCE leaders believed that the PCE alone could no longer effectively challenge the electoral hegemony of the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * List of political parties in Spain, political party ...

(PSOE) on the left. With this premise, the PCE began developing closer relations with other left-wing groups, with the vision of forming a broad left coalition. IU slowly improved its results, reaching 9% in 1989 (1,800,000 votes) and nearly 11% in 1996 (2,600,000 votes). The founding organizations were:

Progressive Federation Progressive Federation (in Spanish language, Spanish: ''Federación Progresista''; FP) was a Democratic socialism, socialist, Ecologism, ecologist and Pacifism, pacifist political party in Spain. It was created in 1984 by a group led by Ramón Tama ...

Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain () is a Marxist–Leninist communist party in Spain. PCPE was founded out of the unification of several Marxist-Leninist factions. The youth organization is called the Communist Youth of the Peoples of Sp ...

, PASOC,

Carlist Party The Carlist Party (, , , , ; PC) is a Spanish political party that considers itself as a successor to the historical tradition of Carlism. The party was founded in 1970, although it remained illegal until 1977 following the death of the caudill ...

Humanist Party The Humanist International (also known as the International Humanist Party) is a consortium of political parties adhering to universal humanism founded in 1952. The five basic principles of Humanist International are: # The value of human li ...

Unitarian Candidacy of Workers The Unitarian Candidacy of Workers (Spanish: ''Candidatura Unitaria de Trabajadores'', CUT) is a Libertarian communism, libertarian communist and Andalusian nationalism, Andalusian nationalist party in Andalusia, Spain. Founded in 1979 with the na ...

, and Republican Left. In contrast to the PCE prior to the formation of IU, which pursued a more moderate political course, the new IU adopted a more radical strategy and ideology of confrontation against the PSOE.Topaloff, L (2012) Political Parties and Euroscepticism, pp192-193 IU generally opposed cooperating with the PSOE, and identified it as a "right-wing party", no different from the People's Party (PP). After achieving poor results in the 1999 local and

European elections Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Until 2019, 751 ...

, IU decided to adopt a more conciliatory attitude towards the PSOE, and agreed to sign an electoral pact with the PSOE for the upcoming general election in 2000. They also adopted a universal policy in favor of cooperating with the PSOE at the local level. IU currently has around 18,000 members, a decrease from 70,000 in 2012.

Organization

Composition

Federal coordinators

Territorial federations

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

: '' Izquierda Unida Los Verdes - Convocatoría por Andalucía'' (United Left/The Greens - Assembly for Andalusia) *

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

: '' Izquierda Unida Aragón'' (United Left of Aragon) *

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

: '' Izquierda Xunida de Asturies'' (United Left of Asturias) *

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

: '' Esquerra Unida de les Illes Balears'' (United Left of the Balearic Islands) *

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

: '' Izquierda Unida Canaria'' (Canarian United Left) *

Cantabria Cantabria (, ; ) is an autonomous community and Provinces of Spain, province in northern Spain with Santander, Cantabria, Santander as its capital city. It is called a , a Nationalities and regions of Spain, historic community, in its current ...

: ''

Izquierda Unida de Cantabria United Left of Cantabria (. IUC) is the Cantabrian federation of the Spanish Left-wing politics, left wing political and social movement United Left (Spain), United Left. Jorge Crespo is the current General Coordinator. The Communist Party of Canta ...

'' (Cantabrian United Left) * Castilla-La Mancha: '' Izquierda Unida de Castilla-La Mancha'' (United Left of Castilla-La Mancha) *

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

: '' Esquerra Unida Catalunya'' (United Left Catalonia, Founded in July 2019; suspended in June 2019 '' Esquerra Unida i Alternativa'') *

Castilla y León Castile, Castille or Castilla may refer to: Places Spain * Castile (historical region), a vaguely defined historical region of Spain covering most of Castile and León, all of the Community of Madrid and most of Castilla–La Mancha * Kingdom o ...

: '' Izquierda Unida de Castilla y León'' (United Left of Castile and León) *

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

: ''Izquierda Unida de Ceuta'' (United Left of Ceuta) *

Euskadi The Basque Country or Basque Autonomous Community (), also officially called Euskadi (), is an autonomous community in northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa. It surrounds two enclaves called Treviño ...

: '' Izquierda Unida - Los Verdes: Ezker Anitza'' (United Left - The Greens: Plural Left) *

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

: '' Izquierda Unida Extremadura'' (United Left Extremadura) * Galicia: '' Esquerda Unida'' (United Left of Galicia) *

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...

: ''

Izquierda Unida La Rioja United Left ( , IU) is a federative political movement in Spain that was first organized as a coalition in 1986, bringing together several left-wing political organizations, grouped primarily around the Communist Party of Spain. IU was founded ...

'' (United Left-La Rioja) *

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

: '' Izquierda Unida-Madrid'' (United Left-Madrid). ''Izquierda Unida de la Comunidad de Madrid'' (

United Left of the Community of Madrid United Left of the Community of Madrid (, IU–CM or IUCM) was the regional branch in the Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is loc ...

) was expelled in 2015. The new federation, IU-M, was created in 2016.La militancia de IU Madrid elige a Mauricio Valiente y Chus Alonso al frente de la nueva formación.
Público, 03/05/2016. *

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

: ''Izquierda Unida - Federación de Melilla'' (United Left - Melilla Federation) *

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

: (United Left - Greens of the Region of Murcia) *

Navarra Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

: '' Izquierda Unida de Navarra - Nafarroako Ezker Batua'' (United Left of Navarra) *

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

: ''

Esquerra Unida del País Valencià The Republican Left of Catalonia (, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also in Valencia, the Balearic Islands and th ...

'' (United Left of the Valencian Country)

Electoral performance

Cortes Generales

European Parliament

Notes

References

External links

*
Izquierda Unida Los Verdes – Convocatoría por AndalucíaIzquierda Unida AragónIzquierda Xunida d'AsturiesIzquierda Unida de CantabriaIzquierda Unida – Izquierda de Castilla-La ManchaEsquerda Unida-Izquierda UnidaEsquerra Unida de les Illes BalearsIzquierda Unida – La RiojaIzquierda Unida de la Comunidad de MadridIzquierda Unida de Navarra – Nafarroako Ezker BatuaEsquerra Unida del País Valencià
{{Authority control International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties Unidas Podemos Communist parties in Spain