Sumar () is an

electoral alliance An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections. E ...

constituted for the

2023 Spanish general election A General elections in Spain, general election was held in Spain on Sunday, 23 July 2023, to elect the members of the 15th Cortes Generales. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 266 seats in the Sen ...

, founded by Spanish second deputy prime minister and

labour minister Minister of labour (in British English) or labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

Yolanda Díaz Yolanda Díaz Pérez (; born 6 May 1971) is a Spanish politician and labour lawyer, currently serving as Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain, Second Deputy Prime Minister since 2021, and Ministry of Labour (Spain), Minister of Labour and Socia ...

, provisionally registered as an association on 28 March 2022 and publicly unveiled on 18 May. After a series of nationwide public events from July 2022 to 25 March 2023, the association presented its manifesto and officially announced Díaz's candidacy for the election on 2 April. On 30 May, after a snap general election was called, the association registered as a political party under the name Movimiento Sumar ("Unite Movement" in English; SMR).

History

Background

As a result of Pablo Iglesias's departure from active politics in May 2021,

Labour minister Minister of labour (in British English) or labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

—and, from July 2021, second deputy prime minister—

, came to be widely regarded as Iglesias's presumptive successor as prime ministerial candidate in the next general election. Díaz expressed her will to shape a new electoral platform transcending political parties, as well as 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 ...

brand, aiming to secure the support of ideologically close forces such as

En Comú Podem En Comú Podem (, ECP) was an electoral coalition in Catalonia, originally formed in October 2015 by Podemos, Barcelona en Comú, Initiative for Catalonia Greens, United and Alternative Left, and Equo, and led by the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada ...

(ECP), Compromís and

Más Madrid Más Madrid () is a progressive regional political party in Spain co-founded by Manuela Carmena and Iñigo Errejon. Its primary strength is located in the city of Madrid. It promotes green politics, having cooperated with like-minded parties su ...

Más País Más País (MP), or More Country, was a political party in Spain. It was an electoral platform formed by Íñigo Errejón around Más Madrid in order to contest the November 2019 general election. The party was positioned on the left-wing of th ...

while giving a prevalent role to

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Barcelona mayor,

Ada Colau Ada Colau Ballano ( ; born 3 March 1974) is a Spanish activist and politician who was Mayor of Barcelona between 2015 and 2023. On 13 June 2015 she was elected Mayor of Barcelona, the first woman to hold the office, as part of the citizen munici ...

(BComú), Valencian vice president

Mónica Oltra Mónica Oltra Jarque () is a Spanish left-wing politician, and the ex-vice president, ex-spokesperson and ex-minister for Equality and Inclusive Policies of the Valencian government. Born in Germany to a Spanish immigrants family, she returned ...

(Compromís), Madrilenian opposition leader

Mónica García Mónica García Gómez (; born 16 January 1974) is a Spanish anesthesiologist and politician, current coordinator and spokesperson of the political party Más Madrid in the Madrilenian Assembly. She was an elected deputy during the X legislatu ...

(Más Madrid) and Ceutan councillor Fatima Hamed (from the Movement for Dignity and Citizenship, MDyC); the absence of Podemos members at the event, most notably of

Equality Equality generally refers to the fact of being equal, of having the same value. In specific contexts, equality may refer to: Society * Egalitarianism, a trend of thought that favors equality for all people ** Political egalitarianism, in which ...

and

Social Rights Economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) are socio-economic human rights, such as the right to education, right to housing, right to an adequate standard of living, right to health, victims' rights and the right to science and culture. Econo ...

ministers Irene Montero and

Ione Belarra Ione Belarra Urteaga (born 25 September 1987) is a Spanish politician and psychologist from Podemos (Spanish political party), Podemos who served as Ministry of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda, Minister of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda from 2021 t ...

, was seen as evidence of the growing diminished role of Unidas Podemos within the platform. The Díaz-led incoming left-wing alliance was also welcomed by incumbent

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Pedro Sánchez Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (; born 29 February 1972) is a Spanish politician who has served as Prime Minister of Spain since 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since July 2017, having p ...

, who saw it as important for the "progressive space" to be in "top shape" in order for his government to be able to maintain and expand its majority in the next election. While the term "Broad Front" has been frequently used in the media to refer to Díaz's platform, it has been commented that Díaz herself has rejected the use of this name for its connections with similar brandings used by left-wing populist alliances in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. After its postponement as a result of the international crisis sparked by the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, it was announced on 18 May 2022 that Díaz's platform would go under the provisional name "Sumar" (), with its formal launch being scheduled for after the

2022 Andalusian regional election The 2022 Andalusian regional election was held on Sunday, 19 June 2022, to elect the 12th Parliament of Andalusia, Parliament of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. All 109 seats in the Parliament were up for el ...

. Díaz herself has asserted that, while she feels comfortable with the "Sumar" concept, it may not be her platform's definitive name, depending on administrative and bureaucratic processes. On 24 May, the platform's name and logo were registered at the

Spanish Patent and Trademark Office The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (Spanish: ''Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas'', sometimes abbreviated SPTO or OEPM) is an List of agencies in Spain, autonomous agency of the Ministry of Industry (Spain), Ministry of Industry, Trade a ...

Official launch, rallies, policy teams

On 1 July 2022, the social media accounts of both Yolanda Díaz and Sumar published promotional videos for the platform's launch event, as part of a broader 'consultation process' (''proceso de escucha'') starting on 8 July 2022 in the

Matadero Madrid Matadero Madrid is the site of a former slaughterhouse, the El Matadero y Mercado Municipal de Ganados (English: Municipal Slaughterhouse and Cattle Market) in the Arganzuela district of Madrid. Today, it is a contemporary arts centre. History ...

arts centre. The Sumar brand and logo were officially introduced in that event as well. The event had an audience of over 5,000 people, with the attendance of relevant figures in the Spanish cultural landscape such as James Rhodes, Elvira Sastre or Belén Gopegui. At the same time, a series of work teams were assembled in order to prepare the platform's policy positions in the form of a long-term national strategy. These were introduced on 23 September 2022, including experts and public figures such as

César Rendueles César Rendueles Menéndez de Llano (born 28 November 1975, Girona) is a Spanish sociologist and essayist. Life Although born in Girona, he grew up in Gijon and lives in Madrid. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy, was an associate professor at the C ...

, Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca or Yayo Herrero. After the first rally, similar events followed in

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality by population in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coa ...

Sabadell Sabadell () is a city and municipality in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the ''comarca'' of Vallès Occidental, where it is one of the two capitals, the other being Terrassa. It is located on the River Ripoll, north of Barcelona, a ...

and Mérida, and in November 2022, the platform was introduced to audiences in

Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...

Logroño Logroño ( , , ) is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right (South) bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of pa ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

. The nationwide encounters of Díaz with the public continued in

A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

Albacete Albacete ( , , ) is a city and municipality in the Spanish autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, and capital of the province of Albacete. Lying in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula, the area around the city is known as Los Llan ...

and

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 ...

. The last rallies took place in March 2023 in Santander,

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

and

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...

. The final event of the consultation process, which also served as Díaz's official presentation of her bid for the 2023 elections, took place in Madrid on 2 April. Among the main parties present in the event were United Left (IU), Más Madrid, Compromís and Catalunya en Comú, but it was noted the notable absence of Podemos due to divergences with Díaz over the process to elect the platform's candidates. At the start of June 2023, former MP Pablo Bustinduy, identified with Podemos, and MEP

Ernest Urtasun Ernest Urtasun i Domènech (; born 27 January 1982) is a Spanish politician and economist, serving as Ministry of Culture (Spain), Minister of Culture of Spain since 2023. He served as Member of the European Parliament between 2014 and 2023, inte ...

, identified with

, were announced as part of the Sumar campaign.

Agreements

Following the early election call for 23 July 2023, the various allied parties of Sumar announced their agreements for joining Díaz's electoral alliance:

Green Alliance Green Alliance may refer to: *Green Alliance (think tank), a British think tank *Green Alliance (Colombia), a political party *Green Alliance (Ireland), former name of the Green Party in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland *Green Alliance ( ...

, Drago Canaries Party,

Chunta Aragonesista The Chunta Aragonesista (CHA; )Rendering the party's name has created some confusions due to the similarity with the Spanish word ''junta''. The right translation of Aragonese ''chunta'' is ''unión'' in Spanish and '' union'' in English. This is ...

, Andalusian People's Initiative,

Batzarre Batzarre () is a political party in Navarre, Spain. It has a branch in the Basque Autonomous Community known as Zutik. It bids to win the political space to the left of the Basque nationalists and the Spanish socialists, the latter eroded for t ...

, with negotiations ongoing with Compromís,

Greens Equo Greens Equo (GQ) and formerly EQUO, is a Spanish List of political parties in Spain, political party founded on 4 June 2011, when 35 Spanish Green party, green parties agreed to merge into Equo. It began as a foundation on 24 September 2010 with ...

, United Left,

, and

Catalunya en Comú Catalunya en Comú (, CatEnComú or CatComú), previously Un País en Comú () and collectively dubbed as Comuns (), is a Catalan-based political party established in December 2016 as an umbrella for Barcelona en Comú, Initiative for Catalonia G ...

, as well as the support of other minor parties such as Sí Se Puede and Ganemos Jerez. The Movement for Dignity and Citizenship (MDyC) chose on 8 June not to join Sumar and opted out of the election. The incorporation of Podemos remained a point of friction in the negotiations, with the presence of Equality Minister Irene Montero and Podemos' representation in Sumar's lists being the main focus of divergence. In the end, following a troubling negotiation process, Podemos joined the alliance four hours ahead of the deadline to register it. On 5 December 2023, Podemos broke with Sumar, and announced that their five MPs would be sitting in the Mixed Group, reducing Sumar's total MPs to 26.

Resignation of Díaz

In 2024, regional elections were held in Galicia, the Basque Country and

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 ...

. The first of those, in February in Díaz's native region, saw Sumar receive under 2% of the total vote and no seats, while in April Sumar took one seat in the

Basque Parliament The Basque Parliament (Basque language, Basque: ''Eusko Legebiltzarra'', Spanish language, Spanish: ''Parlamento Vasco'') is the legislative body of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected ...

. In May, Comuns Sumar took two seats fewer than

had taken in the

2021 Catalan regional election The 2021 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday, 14 February 2021, to elect the 13th/14th Parliament of Catalonia, Parliament of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up ...

. Díaz resigned on 10 June 2024, after Sumar took three seats in the

2024 European Parliament election in Spain The 2024 European Parliament election in Spain was held on Sunday, 9 June 2024, as part of the 2024 European Parliament election, EU-wide election to elect the Tenth European Parliament, 10th European Parliament. All 61 seats allocated to Spain ...

, a figure below its target.

Ideology

Sumar has been described as

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

far-left Far-left politics, also known as extreme left politics or left-wing extremism, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single, coherent definition; some ...

, and

centre-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commo ...

, with a "program for a new social democratic project based on workers’ rights and social protection". It is also described as progressive, supportive of

climate action Climate action (or climate change action) refers to a range of activities, mechanisms, policy instruments, and so forth that aim at reducing the severity of human-induced climate change and its impacts. "More climate action" is a central demand o ...

and pro-Europeanist, despite repeatedly clashing with the

European Central Bank The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central component of the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's Big Four (banking)#International ...

and other European fiscal institutions on economic matters, to the point that Díaz questioned the ECB during a speech in the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

. On the other hand Sumar does not mention NATO in its electoral program, but some of its members question increases in military spending to meet NATO commitments and have stated they prefer to negotiate peace in Ukraine rather than send military aid. Just before the

, Sumar

MEPs A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Comm ...

voted against two resolutions concerning political situations in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

Composition

The table below lists parties that have joined the Sumar platform:

Former members

Electoral performance

Cortes Generales

European Parliament

Notes

References

{{United Left (Spain) 2022 establishments in Spain Democratic socialist parties in Europe Green political parties in Spain Left-wing political party alliances Left-wing politics in Spain Podemos (Spanish political party) Political parties established in 2022 Political party alliances in Spain Pro-European political parties in Spain Socialist parties in Spain United Left (Spain)