Union, Progress and Democracy ( , UPyD ) was a Spanish
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
founded in September 2007 and dissolved in December 2020. It was a
social-liberal
Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited ...
party that rejected any form of
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
,
especially the separatist
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
and
Catalan movements. The party was deeply pro-European and wanted the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
to adopt a federal system without overlap between the European, national and regional governments.
It also wanted to replace the
State of Autonomies
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Spai ...
with a much more centralist, albeit still politically decentralized, unitary system as well as substituting a more proportional election law for the current one.
UPyD first stood for election in the
9 March 2008 general election. It received 303,246 votes, or 1.2% of the national total. It won one seat in the
Congress of Deputies
The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
Congress has ...
[2008 Cortes Generales Election Results](_blank)
. Ministerio del Interior. 10 March 2008. Last Retrieved 10 April 2008. (Spanish) for party co-founder
Rosa Díez
Rosa María Díez González (born 27 May 1952) is a Spanish politician from Union, Progress and Democracy, UPyD deputy in the Congress of Deputies from 2008 to 2016.
When she was a member of the PSOE, she defined herself as a social democrat ...
, becoming the newest party with national representation in Spain. Although its core was in the
Basque Autonomous Community
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous com ...
, with roots in anti-
ETA
Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
civic associations, it addressed a national audience. Prominent members of the party included philosopher
Fernando Savater
Fernando Fernández-Savater Martín (born 21 June 1947 at Basque city of San Sebastián) is a Spanish philosopher, essayist and author.
Early years and career
Born in San Sebastián, he was an Ethics professor at the University of the Basqu ...
, party founder and former
PSOE
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 ...
MEP Rosa Díez
Rosa María Díez González (born 27 May 1952) is a Spanish politician from Union, Progress and Democracy, UPyD deputy in the Congress of Deputies from 2008 to 2016.
When she was a member of the PSOE, she defined herself as a social democrat ...
, philosopher
Carlos Martínez Gorriarán and writer
Álvaro Pombo
Álvaro Pombo García de los Ríos (born 23 June 1939) is a Spanish poet, novelist and activist.
Life and career
Born in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, he studied at the Complutense University of Madrid and received a Bachelor of Arts ...
.
In the general elections held on 20 November 2011, the party won 1,143,225 votes (4.70 percent), five seats which it was able to form a parliamentary group with in the Congress of Deputies
(four in
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 ...
and one in
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 ...
) and became the fourth-largest political force in the country. It had the greatest increase of votes over the previous general election of any party. In the 2015 general election, however, it suffered a decline in its vote power by losing all of its seats. In the 2016 general election, it dropped to just 0.2% of the national vote.
On 18 November 2020, a judge ordered the dissolution of the party and its erasure from the registry of political parties, as it did not have the financial solvency to pay off the debt contracted with a former worker. The party announced that it would appeal the sentence.
[Una jueza declara la extinción de UPyD y da orden para que desaparezca del registro de partidos](_blank)
La Vanguardia, 18 November 2020, accessed 10 May 2021 On 6 December 2020, it was announced that the party would no longer appeal the sentence, thus formally extinguishing UPyD.
History
Origins
Background
On 19 May 2007, 45 people met in
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
to discuss the creation of a new political party opposing both major parties (the
People's Party and 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 ...
) at the national level. Most present were Basques, many of whom had long experience in political,
union and
civic
Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things:
Civic or CIVIC can also refer to: General
*Honda Civic, a car produced by the Honda Motor Co.
*Civics, the science of comparative government
* Civic ...
organizations with
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 ...
,
liberal and
activist
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
backgrounds. After the meeting, to create a broad-based social and political project they formed the Plataforma Pro organization. This united those who considered it necessary to form a new national political party appealing to people across the democratic
political spectrum
A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different Politics, political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more Geometry, geometric Coordinate axis, axes that represent independent political ...
. Its platform was mainly centered around the fight against
ETA
Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
and politically motivated violence, the regeneration of Spanish democracy and reforming the
Constitution of 1978 to reinforce
civil liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...
and
equality, independent of regional origin.
Among the supporters of Plataforma Pro were philosopher
Fernando Savater
Fernando Fernández-Savater Martín (born 21 June 1947 at Basque city of San Sebastián) is a Spanish philosopher, essayist and author.
Early years and career
Born in San Sebastián, he was an Ethics professor at the University of the Basqu ...
, ''
¡Basta Ya!'' coordinator and spokesman
Carlos Martínez Gorriarán and former Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)
MEP Rosa Díez
Rosa María Díez González (born 27 May 1952) is a Spanish politician from Union, Progress and Democracy, UPyD deputy in the Congress of Deputies from 2008 to 2016.
When she was a member of the PSOE, she defined herself as a social democrat ...
. Díez resigned her PSOE membership and her MEP position in August 2007 to become involved with the UPyD project. Groups supporting Plataforma Pro included
Citizens of Catalonia (notably
Albert Boadella,
Arcadi Espada and
Xavier Pericay) and ''¡Basta Ya!'', a major influence on the new movement. In September 2007,
Forum Ermua president
Mikel Buesa announced their intention to participate in the political party arising from Plataforma Pro; he resigned in 2009 due to disagreements with Rosa Díez.
Founding
At a 29 September 2007 meeting in the auditorium of the
Casa de Campo in
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 ...
, the new party was formed under the name of Union, Progress and Democracy. Participants in its formation included Catalan dramatist
Albert Boadella, Basque philosopher
Fernando Savater
Fernando Fernández-Savater Martín (born 21 June 1947 at Basque city of San Sebastián) is a Spanish philosopher, essayist and author.
Early years and career
Born in San Sebastián, he was an Ethics professor at the University of the Basqu ...
, Peruvian writer
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025) was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists a ...
and
Rosa Díez
Rosa María Díez González (born 27 May 1952) is a Spanish politician from Union, Progress and Democracy, UPyD deputy in the Congress of Deputies from 2008 to 2016.
When she was a member of the PSOE, she defined herself as a social democrat ...
. Also present were journalist
Arcadi Espada, anthropologists
Teresa Giménez Barbat and
Felix Perez Romera (three prominent
Citizens of Catalonia members), historian
Antonio Elorza, painter
Agustín Ibarrola
Agustín Ibarrola (18 August 1930 – 17 November 2023) was a Spanish painter and sculptor.
Biography
Ibarrola was born in Basauri, Biscay, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. In 1948, the Delegation of Bi ...
, former Forum Ermua leader
Mikel Buesa, philosopher
Carlos Martínez Gorriarán,
Citizens
Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state.
Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...
deputies
Albert Rivera and
Antonio Robles Almeida, Peruvian writer
Fernando Iwasaki, former
UGT secretary general
Nicolas Redondo and People's Party
Basque MP Fernando Maura. Maura joined the new party's advisory council on 6 November 2007. Writer
Álvaro Pombo
Álvaro Pombo García de los Ríos (born 23 June 1939) is a Spanish poet, novelist and activist.
Life and career
Born in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, he studied at the Complutense University of Madrid and received a Bachelor of Arts ...
later expressed support for UPyD, running as a candidate for the party.
Infighting
In July 2009, party co-founder
Mikel Buesa announced his resignation from UPyD, denouncing "
authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
control" imposed by a group in the party. After its First Party Congress in November 2009, 100 UPyD critics (including four founding members) left the party, "tired and disappointed" with the "authoritarian" Rosa Díez and the party's "lack of internal democracy". By early 2010, the party lost 40% of its membership in Catalonia, amid allegations that the party was a fraud.
Elections
The party's national spokesperson, Rosa Díez, won a seat in the
general election of 2008 from
Madrid Province with 3.74 percent of the vote. Other prominent candidates were writer
Álvaro Pombo
Álvaro Pombo García de los Ríos (born 23 June 1939) is a Spanish poet, novelist and activist.
Life and career
Born in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, he studied at the Complutense University of Madrid and received a Bachelor of Arts ...
(for the Senate) and
Carlos Martínez Gorriarán, both of whom failed to win seats.
In 2009, the party gained representation in the
European Parliamentary election and the
Basque Regional Elections. Their MEP,
Francisco Sosa Wagner, sat in the non-aligned group in the European parliament. In the Basque elections,
Gorka Maneiro was elected to represent
Álava
Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...
.
In 2011,
Luis de Velasco Rami and seven other UPyD members were elected to the
Madrid Assembly, with UPyD becoming the fourth-largest party. In the
2011 local elections, the party won seats in
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 ...
,
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...
,
Ávila
Ávila ( , , ) is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila.
It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m a ...
,
Granada
Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
,
Alicante
Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...
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 ...
. UPyD received the fourth-largest number of votes in the
2011 general election: 1,143,225, or 4.70%. Of the five seats won, four (held by Rosa Díez,
Carlos Martínez Gorriarán,
Álvaro Anchuelo and
Irene Lozano) were in Madrid; actor
Toni Cantó was elected in
Valencia Province.
In the 2014
European Parliament Elections
Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by Universal suffrage, universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after Electio ...
,
Francisco Sosa Wagner was re-elected, and UPyD won three extra seats (for
Maite Pagazaurtundúa,
Fernando Maura and
Beatriz Becerra), consolidating their support nationwide. The party's
MEPs joined the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; , ADLE) was a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and the European Democratic Party. ALDE had political ...
(ALDE) Group.
Decay and dissolution
In the
2015 general election, UPyD suffered a decline in its vote power by losing all of its seats, while the
liberal Citizens
Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state.
Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...
party raised as an alternative. By the
2016 general election, the party's popularity dropped to just 0.2% of the national vote.
The party took part in the
2019 European Parliament elections in the party list of Citizens, achieving a single MEP.
On 18 November 2020, the party's dissolution and its erasure from the registry of political parties was ordered, as it did not have the
financial solvency to pay off the debt contracted with a former worker. The party announced that it would appeal the
sentence,
but on 6 December 2020 the party announced that it would no longer appeal it, thus formally extinguishing UPyD.
Ideology
Official stance

Ideologically, UPyD didn't define itself as either left or right, and its constituency included voters with an affinity for the
political right
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property, ...
as well as part of the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
's disenchanted voters. Likewise, the magenta party refused to be placed in the
political centre
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
. When it was asked to be placed on the
left–right political spectrum
The left–right political spectrum is a system of classifying political positions, ideologies and political parties, parties, with emphasis placed upon issues of social equality and social hierarchy. In addition to positions on the left and on ...
, UPyD defined itself as "a
progressive party which stood up for cross-sectionalism"; according to spokesperson Rosa Díez, the party "had leftist people and right-wing, liberal people". Other additional identity signs were the following:
* "
Centralism", defining it as "the political centralization of powers such as education, health,
water resource management
Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either Fresh water, freshwater from natural sources, or water produ ...
or transport management within a strong
unitary state
A unitary state is a (Sovereign state, sovereign) State (polity), state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions (sub-national or ...
with other symmetrically decentralized responsibilities in the autonomous communities".
* "
Constitutionalism
Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law".
Political organizations are constitutional to ...
", defining it as "the upholding of the Spanish state of law through the pursuance of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in the regions in which is violated and non-nationalist citizens are discriminated against and, concurrently, through a modification of the Constitution’s instrumental articles to ensure that its non-negotiable ones—those that proclaim freedom, equality, cohesion, separation of powers and protection of all Spanish citizens under an independent justice—become effective".
* "
Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...
", defining it as "the form of government which best balances power and individual rights".
* "
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...
", defining it as "the support for the
monarchy of Spain
The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country.
The Spanish monarchy is constitu ...
insofar as it fulfils its function and is austere, transparent and exemplary".
* "
Non-nationalism", defining it as "the opposition to compulsory nationalism".
Rosa Díez denied that the magenta party identified with
anti-nationalism,
Spanish nationalism
The creation of the tradition of the political community of Spaniards as common destiny over other communities has been argued to trace back to the Cortes of Cádiz. From 1812 on, revisiting the previous history of Spain, Spanish liberalism tende ...
and
postnationalism
Postnationalism or non-nationalism is the process or trend by which nation states and national identities lose their importance relative to cross-nation and self-organized or supranational union, supranational and global entities as well as local ...
.
* "
Pro-Europeanism
Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Pol ...
", defining it as "the desire to move towards a real
European federalism with the concept of citizenship as a fundamental pillar".
* "
Radicalism, defining it as "the ambition on transforming politics by bringing off substantial, in-depth changes from within institutions".
* "
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
", defining it as "the defence of state neutrality towards religious beliefs, with the exception of
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
and any other religion that isn't respectful of
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
and the Spanish legal system, and also towards the belief of those who don't embrace a faith".
* "
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited g ...
", defining it as "the support for a mixed economic system in which free-market economy features broad state intervention to correct its social inefficiencies, thereby making the welfare state compatible with individual liberty". Rosa Díez has specified that "social liberalism" was the political doctrine which UPyD was identified with because the party combines elements of "political liberalism" and "social democracy".
* "
Spanish patriotism", defining it as "the defence of common values—justice, freedom and equality—and loyalty among fellow countrymen". Rosa Díez asserted that UPyD was "an unequivocally national party that had a unique agenda for Spain".
Outside sources
UPyD was assessed by the vast majority of political scientists and the media such as the
European Social Survey, ''The
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'' and ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' as a
centrist
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
party, even though it was considered as
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 ...
by the political scientist Donatella Maria Viola and by the Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe, and
centre-right
Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...
by the
Encyclopædia Britannica
The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
. The self-proclaimed cross-sectionalism of UPyD has been linked to
radical centrism
Radical centrism, also called the radical center, the radical centre, and the radical middle, is a concept that arose in Western world, Western nations in the late 20th century. The ''Political radicalism, radical'' in the term refers to a willi ...
.
UPyD was a
progressive party which combined
social liberalism
Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited g ...
with
centralism from the
centre of the
political spectrum
A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different Politics, political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more Geometry, geometric Coordinate axis, axes that represent independent political ...
. It's worth stressing that the centralist UPyD was the only statewide party that, until the appearance of
Vox, actively defended the abolition of
chartered regimes in all
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 ...
, even in those
regions which have them:
Navarre
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. ...
and the
Basque Country. Similarly, UPyD argued that the extreme
political decentralization of the
State of Autonomies
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Spai ...
has weakened the
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the State (polity), state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal oppor ...
and created inequalities across the territory.
Accordingly, UPyD wanted to adopt a symmetrically decentralized unitary system with broad political centralization in Spain.
UPyD defended the
unity of Spain, thereby being an enemy of
peripheral nationalism and the existence of several
national identities
National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language".
National identity ...
within Spain. The magenta party advocated for the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation so unconditionally that it supported the application of Article 155 of Spain's Constitution so as to suspend Catalonia's home rule, and the prosecution of Catalan separatist leaders for rebellion and sedition. Although UPyD was a
progressive party strongly characterized by its rejection of peripheral nationalism, it also had objections to nation-state nationalism, including
Spanish nationalism
The creation of the tradition of the political community of Spaniards as common destiny over other communities has been argued to trace back to the Cortes of Cádiz. From 1812 on, revisiting the previous history of Spain, Spanish liberalism tende ...
, because the party considered this kind of nationalism to be a threat to the progress of Europe's unity. UPyD was deeply
pro-European
Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).Krisztina Arató, Petr Kaniok (editors). ''Euroscepticism and European Integration''. Pol ...
and therefore supported a
federal Europe, which the magenta party saw as an important guarantor of
individual rights
Individual rights, also known as natural rights, are rights held by individuals by virtue of being human. Some theists believe individual rights are bestowed by God. An individual right is a moral claim to freedom of action.
Group rights, also k ...
.
Criticism
Political scientist
Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca, professor of Sociology at the Complutense University of Madrid, accused UPyD of aiming to combat "
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
and
Catalan nationalism
Catalan nationalism promotes the idea that the Catalan people form a distinct nation and national identity. A related term is Catalanism (, ), which is more related to Regionalism (politics), regionalism and tends to have a wider meaning, most pe ...
with a good dose of
Spanish nationalism
The creation of the tradition of the political community of Spaniards as common destiny over other communities has been argued to trace back to the Cortes of Cádiz. From 1812 on, revisiting the previous history of Spain, Spanish liberalism tende ...
". He criticized its commitment to an
electoral law
Election law is a branch of public law that relates to the democratic processes, election of representatives and office holders, and referendums, through the regulation of the electoral system, voting rights, ballot access, election management ...
that "prevents peripheral nationalist parties from having a significant presence in the Spanish Parliament" because, in his mind, fighting against nationalism with institutional reforms would mean "sacrificing the most essential elements of our democracy". Sánchez-Cuenca concluded that "the ideology of UPyD seems clearly broken".
Although UPyD claims to be a social liberal party that rejects any form of nationalism, the party has been branded as a Spanish nationalist one, as well as by Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca, by the journalist Javier Ortiz, by some writers such as Mónica Dorange,
José Ramón Montero and Ignacio Lago and Jean-Pierre Cabestan and Aleksandar Pavković and by the scholarly association
European Consortium for Political Research. This may be due to UPyD's defence of positions associated with Spanish nationalism, like denying the existence of differentiated nations in the state by stating that "the Spanish nation is the only nation that exists in Spain", the recovery by law of place names in Spanish of provinces, cities, municipalities and geographic features in the autonomous communities with a co-official language, the amendment of the
Spanish Constitution so that there isn't any distinction between nationalities and regions and Gibraltar's restitution to Spanish sovereignty.
Former president
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. O ...
criticized UPyD because, in his opinion, centralism has caused even more inequality than the current autonomic state and he pointed out that equality shouldn't be confused with uniformity. Rosa Díez replied that "neither centralism nor autonomy guarantees equality, which can only be ensured by redistributive laws".
The PP's member
Ignacio González, despite admitting his agreement on issues such as the anti-terrorist policy and territorial integrity, has placed UPyD on the
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 ...
of the political spectrum.
Gotzone Mora, who called to vote for the PP after belonging to the PSE-EE, said that UPyD's ideas are already defended by the PP and she accused UPyD of being the PSOE's submarine.
Platform

Domestic policy
UPyD advocated significant changes to the
democratic system, such as the abolition of the requirement for extraparliamentary parties to gather 0.1% of each constituency's electorate to stand in elections; the ban on sending election propaganda by post, either subsidised or not; the adoption of an open list
panachage system; and the direct election of mayors in a
two-round system
The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...
to prevent post-election pacts from misrepresenting the citizens' will. UPyD's other measures for democracy regeneration were: a limit of two consecutive full terms for executive public office holders; a ban on combining two or more public offices; and the strengthening of the incompatibility regime for former high office holders as a way of reducing their potential conflicts of interest. The party also urged making political parties' funding more transparent and independent of business interests.
The party advocated the improvement and reinforcement of
individual rights
Individual rights, also known as natural rights, are rights held by individuals by virtue of being human. Some theists believe individual rights are bestowed by God. An individual right is a moral claim to freedom of action.
Group rights, also k ...
and
obligations
An obligation is a course of action which someone is required to take, be it a legal obligation or a moral obligation. Obligations are constraints; they limit freedom. People who are under obligations may choose to freely act under obligations. O ...
, which were to be strictly defined for all Spaniards without territorial, linguistic, ideological, or religious inequalities. By advocating a
unitary
Unitary may refer to:
Mathematics
* Unitary divisor
* Unitary element
* Unitary group
* Unitary matrix
* Unitary morphism
* Unitary operator
* Unitary transformation
* Unitary representation
* Unitarity (physics)
* ''E''-unitary inverse semigr ...
and centralising concept of the Spanish nation, UPyD defended Spain's unity as "a key instrument to ensure the equality of all Spanish citizens".
UPyD called for a stronger
separation of powers
The separation of powers principle functionally differentiates several types of state (polity), state power (usually Legislature#Legislation, law-making, adjudication, and Executive (government)#Function, execution) and requires these operat ...
through greater judiciary autonomy from the legislature and the executive, thereby consolidating judicial unity across the country and fostering the independence of the
Constitutional Court
A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
,
Court of Accounts and economic regulators from the executive.
State model
UPyD endorsed reforming the
Spanish Constitution of 1978
The Spanish Constitution () is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted after its approval in 1978 in a constitutional referendum; it represents the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy.
The current version was a ...
to dismantle the Spanish
State of Autonomies
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Spai ...
. UPyD wanted Spain to be a strong unitary state with stringent, symmetric political decentralisation, thereby defining in the Constitution which powers were exclusive to the state and which could be transferable to autonomous communities or municipalities. Arguing that the autonomous state not only created inequalities across the country but was also "elephantine, politically unviable and economically unsustainable", the party advocated centralising powers that affected citizens' fundamental rights such as education, health, justice, and taxation. UPyD's territorial model would have abolished
Navarre
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. ...
's and the
Basque Country's ''
fueros
(), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...
'' by creating a common financial structure for all autonomous communities. Other notable proposals were the following: the merging of municipalities to ensure that they had a minimum size of 20,000 inhabitants; the suppression of provincial councils, the Basque General Assemblies, charter councils, and district councils; and the
unicameralism
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
of the Spanish
General Courts after eliminating the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
Electoral system
The party advocated reforming the Organic Act of the General Electoral Regime (LOREG) with three objectives: to achieve equality among voters regardless of their place of residence; to increase the representation of minority parties, which are under-represented compared to the majority parties in the current
electoral system
An electoral or voting system is a set of rules used to determine the results of an election. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, nonprofit organizations and inf ...
; and to reduce the representation of regionalist and peripheral nationalist parties. The reform involved a biproportional distribution of 350 seats in the
Congress of Deputies
The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
Congress has ...
. Of these, one seat would have been allocated to each
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
and
autonomous city
An autonomous city is a type of autonomous administrative division. The most prominent example of this is in Argentina, a federal country with 23 provinces and an autonomous city, officially called the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. In recent y ...
(52 seats in total). The
Sainte-Laguë method
The Webster method, also called the Sainte-Laguë method (), is a highest averages apportionment method for allocating seats in a parliament among federal states, or among parties in a party-list proportional representation system. The Sainte- ...
would have distributed the remaining 298 seats among the provinces according to their population. To ensure
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...
, the allocation of seats to parties would have been under the votes received in the sum of the 52 constituencies, thus preventing a party with fewer votes from winning more seats than a party with more votes. Firstly, the value of the r-parameter, 0.25% of the total valid votes, would have been calculated. Parties with fewer votes than the r-parameter would have been excluded from the seat allocation process. Next, the
D'Hondt method
The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is an apportionment method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in proportional representation among political parties. It belongs to ...
would have assigned 325 seats proportionally to the reduced votes and the remaining 25 seats based on the square of the reduced votes to "achieve fairness in party representation and make governance and proportionality compatible". Finally, the BAZI computer programme, developed at the University of Augsburg, would have distributed the seats won by each party in the 52 constituencies.
Terrorism
UPyD supported
counterterrorist measures with the aim of defeating
ETA
Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
, such as cutting off its funding and impeding its political legitimacy. Consequently, UPyD proposed a stricter law on political parties, which would have outlawed all parties belonging to the
EH Bildu
EH Bildu, short for Euskal Herria Bildu (English language, English: 'Basque Country Gather' or 'Basque Country Unite'), is a Left-wing politics, left-wing, Basque nationalism, Basque nationalist and Separatism, pro-independence federation of poli ...
coalition (
Alternatiba,
Aralar,
Eusko Alkartasuna, and
Sortu
Sortu () is a Basque people, Basque socialist political party. Founded in February 2011, it is the first political party belonging to the Basque nationalism, Basque nationalist "abertzale left" that openly rejects any kind of political violence.
B ...
) on the grounds that they were "an extension of ETA's political arm". The magenta party argued that these parties hadn't condemned ETA's terrorism and, in fact, had even justified ETA's killings. One example of this was the use of the term "political prisoners" to describe ETA's imprisoned members.
The party also advocated the unconditional approval of specific budgetary allocations to strengthen the human and material resources of the
Spanish security forces and intelligence services so that they could fight against
Islamic terrorism
Islamic terrorism (also known as Islamist terrorism, radical Islamic terrorism, or jihadist terrorism) refers to terrorist acts carried out by fundamentalist militant Islamists and Islamic extremists.
Since at least the 1990s, Islami ...
under optimal conditions. Moreover, UPyD supported Spain's military deployment in
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
to destroy the
Islamic State
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
as part of a European resolution under the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
' protection.
Justice
UPyD supported reforming the
Spanish Penal Code to impose an
indefinite imprisonment sentence for crimes of the utmost gravity, having previously submitted this issue to a consultative referendum. The criminals condemned would have had the possibility of
parole
Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
or pardon after spending a minimum of 35 years in prison if they had received a favourable, individualised prognosis for social reintegration in a sentence review process.
Society
UPyD endorsed
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
and
same-sex couples' adoption, regarding homophobia as "utterly reprehensible" and contending that a traditional family wasn't "the only valid option". The magenta party favoured the regularisation of
surrogacy
Surrogacy is an arrangement whereby a woman gets pregnant and gives birth on behalf of another person or couple who will become the child's legal parents after birth. People pursue surrogacy for a variety of reasons such as infertility, danger ...
and voluntary
prostitution
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
, and the legalization of
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
coupled with
assisted suicide
Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life.
Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...
as a way of offering terminally ill people the option of dying without prolonged suffering.
The party endorsed the decriminalisation of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
, but would have maintained the prohibition of other illegal drugs.
Bullfighting
The party supported
bullfighting
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
as a national festival and advocated the exclusive competence of the state to regulate bullfighting to prevent the Spanish autonomous communities from banning bullfighting traditions. However, UPyD refused to recognise the
intangible cultural heritage
An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...
status of bullfighting. The party also rejected providing grants-in-aid to bullfighting events at either the European or Spanish (local, regional and national) level, thereby making Spaniards responsible for determining the future of bullfights based on their attendance or non-attendance at
bullring
A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with the Iberian Peninsula, but they can also be found through Iberian America and in a few Spanish and Portuguese ex-colonies in Africa. Bullrings are ...
s. Lastly, UPyD supported the abolition of the ''
Toro de la Vega'' tournament and the ''
Toro embolado''.
Religion
By making
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 ...
a
secular state
is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens equally regardless of relig ...
, the party supported revising existing agreements with the Holy See, the self-financing of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and other
religious confessions, and the complete
separation of church and state
The separation of church and state is a philosophical and Jurisprudence, jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the State (polity), state. Conceptually, the term refers to ...
.
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
for UPyD consisted of "fair treatment of all legitimate religious beliefs, i.e., those compatible with
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
, the
rule of law
The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...
, and
democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
".
UPyD stated that "
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
isn't a legitimate religion because it establishes men's superiority over women, it doesn't even respect the right to be a nonbeliever, and above all, it rejects the essence of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...
, which is why Islam has its
declaration of human rights justifying the existence of practices such as adulterous women's stoning and homosexuals' murder through
Sharia
Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
law". Following this line of thought, the party supported the ban on Islamic headscarves (from the
burqa
A burqa or burka (; ) is an enveloping outer garment worn by some Muslim women which fully covers the body and the face. Also known as a chadaree (; ) or chaadar (Dari: چادر) in Afghanistan, or a ''paranja'' (; ; ) in Central Asia, the Ara ...
to the
hijab
Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...
) in public spaces, since they are "a way to subjuge women to men within Islam".
Abortion
UPyD supported a law decriminalising induced
abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
within the first fourteen weeks of pregnancy. Beyond that gestational period, UPyD would have only allowed abortions in cases of "foetal anomalies incompatible with life and the risk of the mother's death, thereby reconciling the mother's right to consent to maternity with the unborn's legal protection". According to the party, "abortion is always a drama because an embryo conceived by two people is a human being". Consequently, UPyD argued that regulating abortion as a right rather than decriminalising it under certain circumstances wasn't respectful of Article 15 of the Spanish Constitution, which applies to the unborn according to the Constitutional Court's jurisprudence. Therefore, the magenta party supported early sex education, which would have informed high school students about all available contraceptive methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies while encouraging them to steer clear of abortion as much as possible. Finally, UPyD opposed abortion access by minors without parental consent.
Economy
As a
social liberal
Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited g ...
party,
UPyD advocated a
free-market economy subject to necessary state interventions to eliminate
tax evasion
Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...
, provide quality public goods or services and increase equity in
income distribution
In economics, income distribution covers how a country's total GDP is distributed amongst its population. Economic theory and economic policy have long seen income and its distribution as a central concern. Unequal distribution of income causes e ...
. Thus, the party proposed economic measures such as the reform of the
wealth tax
A wealth tax (also called a capital tax or equity tax) is a tax on an entity's holdings of assets or an entity's net worth. This includes the total value of personal assets, including cash, bank deposits, real estate, assets in insurance and ...
to convert it into a tax on large fortunes, raising the minimum exemptions so that people with average wealth weren't taxed and eliminating any mechanism that would have allowed
tax avoidance
Tax avoidance is the legal usage of the tax regime in a single territory to one's own advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is payable. A tax shelter is one type of tax avoidance, and tax havens are jurisdictions that facilitate reduced taxe ...
.
UPyD endorsed granting the Department of Financial and Tax Inspection of the
Spanish Tax Agency the power to assess compliance with the qualifications for a company to be recognised as a
SICAV
A SICAV is a collective investment scheme common in Western Europe, especially Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Malta, France, and the Czech Republic. SICAV is an acronym in French for ''société d'investissement à capital varia ...
. This would have involved the Tax Agency issuing a binding report to the
National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) to prevent individuals and family groups from fraudulently taking advantage of the tax benefits associated with SICAVs by using them as an investment tool.
Education
The party promoted the enhancement of
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
through the implementation of a
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
public education
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
system that strengthened scientific research and eradicated
linguistic discrimination. UPyD rejected compulsory
language immersion
Language immersion, or simply immersion, is a technique used in Bilingual education, bilingual language education in which two languages are used for instruction in a variety of topics, including maths, science, or social studies. The languages ...
in autonomous communities with more than one official language, thereby defending the freedom to choose the language of instruction for all non-linguistic subjects and ensuring
bilingualism by making the regional language as well as Spanish two required subjects. The party also opposed linguistic discrimination in all public services.
Environment
UPyD's
environmental policy
Environmental policy is the commitment of an organization or government to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem ...
sought to ensure the compatibility of technological and economic development with environmental and biodiversity protection. Some of UPyD's measures were the following: the use of
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...
as an essential part of Spain's energy mix, which would have also included
renewable energy
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...
and
hydraulic fracturing
Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of Formation (geology), formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the ...
; the cessation of subsidies for
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
and the closure of cost-inefficient mines; scientific research into
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
and its possible corrective measures; and the strengthening of legislation protecting natural areas to halt the loss of the coastline and sensitive natural areas due to
urbanisation
Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It can also ...
and other misuses.
Foreign policy
UPyD supported the creation of a political
constitution for the European Union in which EU member states transferred some powers, such as
energy policy
Energy policies are the government's strategies and decisions regarding the Energy production, production, Energy distribution, distribution, and World energy supply and consumption, consumption of energy within a specific jurisdiction. Energy ...
,
fiscal policy
In economics and political science, fiscal policy is the use of government revenue collection ( taxes or tax cuts) and expenditure to influence a country's economy. The use of government revenue expenditures to influence macroeconomic variab ...
,
foreign policy
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
,
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
,
security
Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...
, and
defence, to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
with the aim of establishing a
federal Europe, whose institutions would have had full legislative capacity. In addition, the magenta party favoured the abolition of the European Parliament's headquarters in Luxembourg and Strasbourg by concentrating all parliamentary activities in a single headquarters in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. Similarly, UPyD advocated abolishing the intergovernmental
European Council
The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...
to promote the European Union's supranationality.
Immigration
UPyD wished to transfer immigration policy to the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
as an exclusive competence. Accordingly, the magenta party asked the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
to include
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 ...
and
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 ...
as full-fledged territories in the
European customs area, thus making them part of the European Union's external borders. Therefore, UPyD wanted
Frontex to open delegations in both cities and strengthen the Smart Borders Plan. The party supported the creation of a European
green card
A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...
, which would have provided legal immigrants with a joint residence and work permit in the European Union. UPyD stated that "controlled immigration is positive and necessary for
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
because of its
demographic ageing" and called for a common immigration policy with strict respect for
international law
International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...
and
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
, which would have included not only admission and residence criteria for immigrants based on employment needs across the EU but also a European action protocol to keep
illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
at bay. On one hand, the magenta party supported increased immigration control by asserting the pressing need to protect the
border fences in Ceuta and
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 ...
. UPyD thought that the
Civil Guard should have stopped illegal immigrants and either repatriated them legally or returned them to the country from which they'd entered, without violating their human rights. Hence, UPyD rejected
pushbacks and sought to prohibit using
rubber bullet
Rubber bullets (also called rubber baton rounds) are a type of baton round. Despite the name, rubber bullets typically have either a metal core with a rubber coating, or are a homogeneous admixture with rubber being a minority component. Altho ...
s and
razor wires as deterrents. On the other hand, the party stood up for giving
asylum and humanitarian protection to people who fled from their nations because of armed conflicts, thereby implementing dissuasive sanctions on EU member states that refused to host refugees.
Likewise, UPyD was favourable to allocating financial resources for democracy promotion in non-democratic countries and even endorsed military intervention if they were "insufficient to defend and protect
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
and to ensure that no one had to leave these countries". Finally, the magenta party believed there shouldn't be any discrimination when accepting immigrants or refugees in Europe.
Organization
Name
Rosa Díez
Rosa María Díez González (born 27 May 1952) is a Spanish politician from Union, Progress and Democracy, UPyD deputy in the Congress of Deputies from 2008 to 2016.
When she was a member of the PSOE, she defined herself as a social democrat ...
—in a 2007 magazine interview prior to UPyD's registration in the Register of Political Parties and in a later 2007 television interview—and
Mikel Buesa—at a 2007 party presentation—explained the origin of the three concepts which make up the party's name:
Rosa Díez, Fernando Savater, Carlos Martínez Gorriarán and Juan Luis Fabo took charge of the choice of the party's name and the party's inscription into the Register of Political Parties. They opted for Union, Progress and Democracy because, as Rosa Díez explained, "there wasn't a party in Spain that had the necessary democratic pedagogy to defend these three concepts unashamedly. Indeed, there is a compelling case for union among Spaniards, a pressing need for progressive policies and still much work to be done before achieving a high-quality democracy".
Membership
At its Second Party Congress in November 2013, UPyD reported 6,165 registered members (down from an all-time high of 6,634 in 2011).
In 2009, the party founded the
think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
Fundación Progreso y Democracia (FPyD: Progress and Democracy Foundation), which has been presided over by UPyD spokesperson Rosa Díez.
Presentación (Spanish)
Fundación Progreso y Democracia website, Retrieved 6 April 2014
Funding
Shortly after the party's creation, on 13 December 2007, UPyD held a press conference headed by Rosa Díez
Rosa María Díez González (born 27 May 1952) is a Spanish politician from Union, Progress and Democracy, UPyD deputy in the Congress of Deputies from 2008 to 2016.
When she was a member of the PSOE, she defined herself as a social democrat ...
, Mikel Buesa, and Fernando Savater
Fernando Fernández-Savater Martín (born 21 June 1947 at Basque city of San Sebastián) is a Spanish philosopher, essayist and author.
Early years and career
Born in San Sebastián, he was an Ethics professor at the University of the Basqu ...
at which it denounced "evidently unequal" treatment by Spanish banks, which denied the party loans while forgiving debts held by the other political parties. Although party activity was funded by membership fees and small donations, it "could not continue this way" or contest an election with such meager resources. Therefore, the party leadership decided to offer €200, €500 and €1,000 bonds to fund the party's campaign for the 2008 general elections. The bonds, totaling €3 million–€5 million, were sold at party offices, on the internet and over a toll-free phone line. The party pledged to report the amount of the loans obtained and the state of its accounts, and intended to repay the money after the elections with institutional funding for parties with parliamentary representation.
Electoral performance
Cortes Generales
The (; ) are the Bicameralism, bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate of Spain, Senate (the upper house).
The Congress of Deputies meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, ...
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
Notes
References
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External links
Unión, Progreso y Democracia
– Official homepage (Spanish)
{{Authority control
Political parties established in 2007
2007 establishments in Spain
Progressive parties
Social liberal parties
Radical parties
Centrist parties in Spain
Liberal parties in Spain
Monarchist parties in Spain
Pro-European political parties in Spain
Defunct political parties in Spain
Defunct liberal political parties
Political parties disestablished in 2020
2020 disestablishments in Spain