Izquierda Unida (Spain)

Izquierda Unida (United Left) is an electoral 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). At the present time, only the PCE continues forming and organizing IU.

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 began to decay, declining 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. IU has an important support base in Andalusia and Madrid, because of the communist traditions of PCE.

In last election, March 14, 2004, IU took 5% of the vote, with 1,250,000 votes. Because of the election Law, its number of MPs was reduced from 9 to 5, in coalition with the Catalonian green-left party Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds (Iniciative for Catalonia-Greens, ICV).

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

See also: Politics of Spain