CUP: far-left pro-independence group running for second time in Spanish election

The far-left pro-independence CUP party is running for only the second time in a general Spanish election on July 23. 

In November 2019, the anti-capitalists decided to present a candidacy in the Spanish election for the first time in their history, with the slogan 'ungovernable'. On that occasion, they obtained two MPs for the constituency of Barcelona. 

CUP focus on Catalonia and the 'Catalan-speaking territories' which also include Valencia and the Balearic Islands. They prioritize local community work and grassroots local activism. 

At first, the party only run at the local elections, and only after intense internal debate, CUP ran in the Catalan election for the first time in 2012. In June, 61% of the party members voted in favor of running again in the Spanish election.

The current MPs are running again in this summer's election: Albert Botran in Barcelona and Mireia Vehí, who is now running in the Girona constituency.

CUP's aims

CUP is focused on independence and freedom for the 'Catalan-speaking territories'. They want to "reactivate" the independence movement: "It is important to go back to the scheme of the October 1, 2017 referendum, to affirm our sovereignty and make it valid to whoever is in the Spanish government," Albert Botran, running for CUP in Barcelona, said at a campaign rally. 

On that matter, CUP says that theirs is "the only candidacy that is both pro-independence and left-wing."

They also want to act on environment matters and the climate emergency and oppose the developments and expansions that the Catalan and Spanish governments have greenlighted, such as the B-40 highway in the Vallès region near Barcelona. CUP is also against a potential expansion of the Barcelona airport, a project that has been spoken about a lot in the last term.

For housing, CUP proposes to expropriate empty houses from large-scale property owners and make those available for public housing, thus expanding the options available for those with fewer resources.  

The anti-capitalist party also advocates for the protection of Catalan culture and the Catalan language in schools. Albert Botran, the candidate for Barcelona, in a recent press conference at the Catalan News Agency (ACN) headquarters, stated that "it is not enough to combat the hatred towards our language and our identity, we have to create spaces for our language and identity as well."

During May's local elections, the party had some disappointing results as they lost 21 council seats in Catalonia and failed to gain representation in the Barcelona city council for a second consecutive vote. 

According to polls, CUP is forecasted to win 1-2 MPs in the Congress, which could mean keeping both or losing one.