Spain's Yolanda Diaz resigns as head of far-left Sumar
Her remarks came a day after the country voted in elections for the European Parliament which in Spain were won by right-wing opposition Popular Party.
Spain's Minister of Labour and Social Economy and far left Sumar party's leader Yolanda Diaz takes part in a demonstration in support of the Palestinian people, in Madrid on October 29, 2023. Spain's far left Sumar party's leader, member of the ruling coalition, resigns as leader of her party following EU vote, AFP reports on June 10, 2024. Picture: JAVIER SORIANO / AFP.
MADRID, SPAIN - Yolanda Diaz, number three in Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government, resigned Monday as head of the far-left Sumar following a weak showing in the EU election which in Spain was won by the right.
"I have decided to leave my role as head of Sumar," she said of the alliance which is the junior partner in Sanchez's left-wing coalition.
Diaz will however retain her position as labour minister and one of Sanchez's deputies.
Her remarks came a day after the country voted in elections for the European Parliament which in Spain were won by right-wing opposition Popular Party.
"The elections have been like a mirror. People aren't wrong when they vote or when they chose not to vote. It is always our responsibility and, in this case, mine. The people have spoken, and I am taking it into account," said the 53-year-old.
She said there needed to be "a debate" about the leadership within Sumar ("Unite"), which she set up in July 2022 as an umbrella group for all parties to the left of Sanchez's Socialists.
Spain's far-left won five seats in Sunday's elections, down from six in the previous vote in 2019. Of that number, three were won by Sumar and two by Podemos, its rival and a former partner in Sanchez's coalition.
Although initially aligned, the two factions fell out after Sumar refused to let then Equality Minister Irene Montero, a lead figure in Podemos, to run on its list for last July's general elections.
In Sunday's vote, the opposition PP won 22 of Spain's 61 seats in the European Parliament, followed by the Socialists who secured 20 seats.
In 2019, the Socialists had won a decisive victory with 21 seats compared to 13 for the PP.
In his victory speech, PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said voters had handed them the victory they were waiting for, putting Spain "on the cusp of a new political cycle".
Sunday's vote also saw the far right make a strong showing, with Vox coming third with six seats, up from four seats in 2019.
And a new far-right faction called "Se Acabo la Fiesta" ("The Party's Over") made a surprise debut winning three seats, trailing Sumar by barely 11,000 votes.
Sunday's vote came almost a year after Spain's inconclusive July election.
Although the PP came first, it didn't have the parliamentary support to form a government, leaving the way open for Sanchez. He mustered a majority with the backing of far-left and regional parties, including the Catalan separatists.