The Spanish lawyer Miriam González Durántez has launched a new liberal, centrist party, promising to clean up politics and give voters an alternative to the dominant socialist and conservative parties as the country prepares for a snap general election next month.
González Durántez, a former EU adviser married to ex-British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, says her new party, Democracia21, will offer a modern, transparent kind of politics that “doesn’t feed on fear, insults or nostalgia.”
Democracia21’s manifesto accuses both the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) and the rightwing People’s party (PP) of wasting decades in government for short-term political gain.
“In the meantime: housing became unaffordable, young people left, bureaucracy grew like a religion, and bickering took the place of governing,” it says. “Old-school politics turned every problem into a narrative – and every solution into an electoral threat.”
View image in fullscreenNick Clegg (centre) and González Durántez at a campaign event in Sheffield in 2015. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
Mindful of the corruption scandals that eventually brought down the last PP government – and the graft allegations surrounding the administration and inner circle of socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez – the new party is promising “a radical political cleanup,” including far greater transparency for parties.
González Durántez, who announced that Democracia21 will run in Madrid and Barcelona in the election on 29 November, has also positioned herself on two of the biggest issues facing voters: the housing crisis and immigration.
The eviction last month of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid sparked waves of demonstrations across Spain, led to a protest camp being set up in the centre of the capital and prompted Sánchez’s minority government to propose emergency measures to try to make the rental market fairer. When those measures were voted down by rightwing and far-right parties at the beginning of October, the prime minister announced a snap general election.
Miriam González Durántez weighs up move to lead new Spanish liberal party
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Speaking at her party’s launch over the weekend, González Durántez accused both the PSOE and the PP of ignoring the housing crisis.
“One lot has been in government for eight years and the other controls 80% of Spain’s regional governments,” she said. “What’s going on here is that they only remember about housing when an election comes around and all the people are on the streets.”
González Durántez proposed scrapping housing taxes for people under 35, and argued that a young person earning €1,300 (£1,098) a month should not be paying more than €350 a month in rent.
She also defended the benefits of controlled immigration and of Spain’s place within the European project, which she described as “absolutely existential” for the country.
“Immigration is an asset and an essential competitive advantage for Spain right now,” she said. “We need to get rid of all the xenophobic talk but the state needs to be in control of immigration. We need to decide who comes in; how they come in; when they come in and, if they have to leave, we will also decide when they leave. None of this is contradictory. We need to do all that while ensuring that Europe doesn’t fall into the traps of those political forces that haven’t come to reform Europe, but to break it.”
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Democracia21 is not the first centrist party to have tried to shake up the traditional socialist and conservative duopoly. The liberal Ciudadanos party, founded in 2006, briefly looked set to push past both the PSOE and the PP,But its decision to shift sharply to the right and its refusal to support the no-confidence motion that removed the conservatives from power in 2018 proved disastrous. By the last general election in July 2023, Ciudadanos’s support had fallen so much that it chose not to run.
Sánchez’s decision to call a snap election is another gamble by Spain’s pragmatic and unpredictable prime minister. Polls suggest the PP will comfortably beat the PSOE to finish first, but it is unlikely to win an absolute majority, forcing it to depend on Vox’s support to govern.
Sánchez, meanwhile, will be hoping that the PP’s decision to side with Vox and the right-wing Catalan pro-independence party Junts to block the housing proposals will motivate left-wing and moderate voters.
However, the prime minister is already facing an electoral setback after Spain’s supreme court decided to keep its suspension of the voting rights of tens of thousands of overseas voters. These voters benefited from a law his government introduced in 2022 that offered Spanish citizenship to the descendants of those exiled during the civil war and the Franco dictatorship that followed.
The move has angered the PP and Vox, who have accused Sánchez of trying to create more socialist voters beyond Spain’s borders. Although the suspension looks set to remain in place for the election, the court has said its ruling will not affect those who can prove that their parents or grandparents “suffered exile for political or ideological reasons, or for reasons of belief or sexual orientation.”
The PSOE has denounced the political pressure behind the decision as an attack on democracy.
“The grandchildren of the Franco regime will be able to vote, but not those of the exiles, just as the PP and Vox wanted,” the party’s organisational secretary, Rebeca Torró, posted on X. “Their fascist agenda has struck at the cornerstone of democracy: the right to vote. We will not stop denouncing this outrage.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Miriam González Durántez launching a new centrist political party in Spain
Beginner Questions
Who is Miriam González Durántez
She is a Spanish lawyer and the wife of former UK Prime Minister Nick Clegg She is known for her work in international law and for promoting women in leadership
What is a centrist political party
It is a party that avoids extreme left or right views It tries to find middleground solutions and focuses on practical policies rather than strict ideology
Did she really launch a new political party in Spain
As of now she has not officially launched a party There have been rumors and speculation but no formal announcement or registration has happened
Why is this news
Because she is a wellknown public figure Any move by her into Spanish politics would be seen as significant especially with rising interest in new centrist movements across Europe
Advanced Questions
What would a centrist party led by her stand for
Likely policies would include economic stability social liberalism European Union integration and reform of Spains regional system She has not published a detailed platform yet
What problems would such a party face in Spain
Spain already has a crowded political landscape Existing centrist party Ciudadanos has declined New parties struggle with funding media attention and regional divisions
Has she registered the party with the Spanish Interior Ministry
No Official party registration requires legal steps There is no public record of her doing so
What examples of similar centrist parties exist in Europe
Examples include En Marche in France and Ciudadanos in Spain These parties often start as movements and later become formal parties
Practical Tips for Following This Story
Check official sources Spains Interior Ministry website lists registered parties
Follow reputable Spanish news outlets like El País or El Mundo
Be careful with social media rumors wait for a formal announcement
If a party is launched look for its founding manifesto and legal registration number
Common Questions People Ask
Is she a Spanish citizen
Yes she was born in Spain and holds Spanish nationality
Could she run for Prime Minister
Only if she leads a party that wins enough seats in the Spanish Parliament Spains system requires coalition building so it is very difficult for a new party to win alone
