Which EU Parliament group will your vote in Spain go to?
Spanish parties run with national names but will join wider groups in continental chamber
EU citizens residing in Spain are eligible to vote in Sunday's European elections.
Millions will cast their ballots on June 9, but while the European Parliament has 720 seats, voters in Spain only elect 61 representatives.
The vote is done at state level, meaning all of Spain is counted as a single constituency. Once the results are in, politicians will join other political groups in the pan-European chamber.
So, which EU parliament group will your vote go to if you cast your ballot in Spain during the European elections?
Junts+ → Non-Inscrits, not attached to any group
Catalan pro-independence party Junts+ is led by current MEP Toni Comín. The party has a center-right approach to politics and, in the past, was part of the Renew Europe group. However, since the appearance of liberal Ciudadanos, Junts+ decided not to join any pan-European force.
Socialists → Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
After the vote on June 9, the Spanish Socialists will join the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Their main candidate is Spain's vice-president Teresa Ribera and they earned 21 seats in the chamber in the last vote in 2019. Back then, Josep Borrell, currently the vice president of the European Commission and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, led the candidacy.
Ara Repúbliques (Esquerra Republicana) → Greens / EFA
Ara Repúbliques is a coalition of several left-wing pro-independence parties, encompassing the Catalan Esquerra Republicana, the Basque EH Bildu, the Galician BNG party, and Ara Més from the Balearic Islands. Their main candidate is Esquerra's MEP Diana Riba. In 2019, they won three seats in the European Parliament.
Ciudadanos → Renew Europe
The Spanish liberal party Ciudadanos is led by Jordi Cañas, a historian and a member of the Catalan parliament between 2010 and 2014 who is now running for a group that did not win any seat in the Catalan election on May 12. They will join the Renew Europe group if they are elected.
Sumar → Greens / EFA, or The Left - TBC
One of the newest coalitions in Spanish politics is Sumar, a left-wing platform comprising of several political forces such as Izquierda Unida, Movimiento Sumar, Catalunya en Comú, and Más Madrid. They still have not yet decided which group they will join at the continental bloc’s plenary sessions, but there are two main options: Greens / EFA, or The Left. Their candidate is Jaume Asens.
Podemos → The Left
Anti-austerity Podemos will be joining The Left group if they get elected in Sunday's vote. Irene Montero, former Spanish equality minister from 2020-2023, leads the party that did poorly in the Spanish election last year.
People's Party → European People's Party Group
With sitting European Commissioner president Ursula Von Der Leyen leading the candidacy at a pan-European level, Dolors Montserrat will be the first MEP for Spain's People's Party in the parliament. Polls predict the PP will come first on Sunday's ballots in the country. EU Parliament's president Roberta Metsola, from Malta, is also part of the EPP.
Vox → European Conservatives and Reformists
The far-right Vox party will join the European Conservatives and Reformists after the June 9 vote. Among the other parties in the ECR group are Italian PM Georgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia.