Yolanda Diaz, the third in command in the Spanish government and the leader of the far-left party Sumar, announced on Monday, June 10th, that she was stepping down as the head of her party. This decision comes after her party’s poor performance in the European elections. The right-wing party came out on top on Sunday, winning 22 seats. Sumar only received 4.65% of the votes and gained two seats (the party was not represented in the outgoing European Parliament as it was created in 2023).
“I have decided to step down as the coordinator of Sumar,” stated Yolanda Diaz, who will continue in her role in the government as the Minister of Labor. “The citizens have spoken, and I am drawing the necessary conclusions,” she continued. “It is essential that a debate opens up within the party, which has brought together almost all parties to the left of the left since 2023. With this decision, I am initiating that debate,” the Minister of Labor further added.
On Sunday, the conservatives of the Popular Party emerged victorious with a total of 22 seats. On the other hand, the Spanish far-left experienced a setback, dropping from six seats in 2019 to five. This election also saw parties like Ciudadanos and Podemos losing ground. Ciudadanos lost all eight of its seats, while Podemos went from four to two Members of the European Parliament. The Socialist Party of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez came in second, securing 20 seats. Lastly, with 9.6% of the votes, the far-right party Vox significantly increased its score compared to 2019 (6.3%) and went from three to six seats.