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Liberal Democratic Party (Spanish: Partido Liberal Democrático; PLD) is a liberal political party in Spain. The party has been located in the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum. Different factions have dominated the party at different times, each with its own ideological bent; some factions leaned towards the centre-left, while others were in the centre.
In 2001, the Liberal Democratic Party was formed out of the merger of the New Liberals and the Democratic Party. The new party's political programme was declared to be in favor of European integration, a social market economy and social liberalism. Under centrist leader Esteban Telleria, who was elected in 2012, the party forged local alliances with Citizens, another liberal party, and advocated for closer relations with the United States and Latin American nations. Dolores Mansilla was elected leader in 2018, and moved the party more towards the centre-left, pursuing local alliances with the Socialist Workers' Party.
The party is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE) and Liberal International, and holds observer status in the Liberal Network for Latin America. Its annual conference grant all members in attendance the right to vote on policy, under a one member, one vote system, modeled after that of the British Liberal Democrats. The party's youth organisation is the Liberal Youth of Spain (JLDE).
History[]
Origins (1996–2001)[]
- Main articles: New Liberals (Spain), Democratic Party (Spain, 1983) and Democrats–Liberals
The Liberal Democratic Party traces its origins to early post-Franco Spanish politics. In 1983, the centre-left Democratic Party was formed in Madrid by Elbio Ardura and Constantino Herrera, both being former Spanish Republican exiles. The New Liberals would be founded in 1989 by four former centrist members of the Liberal Party who opposed its merger with the People's Alliance and People's Democratic Party to form the People's Party.
The Democratic Party lost half of its seats in the 1993 general election. In the wake of this, the PD entered into a coalition agreement with the New Liberals in order to contest the 1996 general election. Their new alliance, Democrats–Liberals, performed better then expected.
Following lackluster results in the 2000 general election in March, Herrera called for the Democratic Party and New Liberals to merge. Formal negotiations launched in September, and in December it produced a draft constitution for the new party. By 2001, PD and New Liberals meetings both produced majorities for the merger; finally, the memberships of both parties were balloted and both produced support for a merger.
The Liberal Democratic Party was officially created on 10 April 2001, and held its first annual conference in Málaga that same year.
Ideology[]
The Liberal Democratic Party's official ideology draws on both the liberal and social democratic traditions; although it has several factions representing different strains of liberal thought. The party generally supports a social market economy and broader investment incentives, as well as progressive taxation.
The party spans the centre and centre-left. On economic issues, the party has usually been positioned between the Socialist Workers' Party and the People's Party. The party supports the regional structure in autonomous communities enshrined in the Constitution of 1978, although individual member views on the constitutional monarchy differ. It has called for reform of the structures for the Senate and Congress of Deputies.
On social issues, the party is liberal and progressive. It has consistently supported LGBTQ+ rights and drug reform, and promotes civil liberties, including the right to asylum. It opposes "inhumane" immigration policies, including "offshoring" the processing of migrants and asylum seekers to third countries.
On foreign policy, the party is internationalist and pro-European. It has supported negotiating with Morocco for "a definitive solution" to the issue of sovereignty over Spain's African territories, including Ceuta and Melilla, and in regard to the Gibraltar issue, it has generally supported the United Kingdom's declaration that Spain should seek "the consent of the Gibraltarian people" if they wish to discuss their claim of sovereignty over the area with the British. While they have consistently supported European integration, they have opposed the formation of a European army. It has supported Atlanticism, as well as closer relations with Latin American countries.
The party supports liberal interventionism; and while it opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2011 military intervention in Libya, it supported the concurrent war in Afghanistan, and later voiced opposition to the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal. It has supported a ceasefire in the Gaza war, as well as a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and, following the invasion of Ukraine, has called for regime change in Russia and Belarus.
Organization[]
Leadership[]
Leaders[]
| Leader | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Constantino Herrera | TBD 2002 – TBD 2005 |
| 2. | Claudio Blasco | TBD 2005 – TBD 2012 |
| 3. | Esteban Telleria | TBD 2012 – TBD 2018 |
| 4. | Dolores Mansilla | TBD 2018 – present |
Presidents[]
| President | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Felipe Carranza | TBD 2002 – TBD 2006 |
| 2. | Pablo Pérez Anguera | TBD 2006 – TBD 2008 |
| 3. | Gloriana Ayuso | TBD 2008 – TBD 2011 |
| 4. | Fernanda Santesteban | TBD 2011 – TBD 2016 |
| 5. | Gregorio Juárez Ruiz | TBD 2016 – TBD 2020 |
| 6. | Izan Menéndez | TBD 2020 – TBD 2024 |
| 7. | Mauro Giménez | TBD 2024 – present |
Regional leaders[]
- Andalusia: Juan Víctor Sánchez (since 2014)
- Aragon: Diego Casajús (since 2020)
- Asutrias: Ramón Rodríguez Ubaldo (since 2021)
- Balearic Islands: Armando Cresques (since 2018)
- Basque Country: Urko Chasco (since 2023)
- Canary Islands: Jorge Pablo Macías (since 2024)
- Cantabria: Carlos Badosa Ibáñez (since 2023)
- Castile and León: Florinda Salas (since 2015)
- Castilla-La Mancha: Felipe Gonzalo Álvarez (since 2024)
- Catalonia: Dolors Lloveras (since 2021)
- Ceuta: Maya Aldana Ávalos (since 2024)
- Community of Madrid: Rita Montañez (since 2020)
- Extremadura: Patricia Guzmán Pérez (since 2022)
- Galicia: María Noela Saavedra (since 2019)
- La Rioja: Paulino Berrios (since 2016)
- Melilla: Mustafa Diba (since 2018)
- Murcia: Jimeno Suárez (since 2022)
- Navarre: Fernando Apodaca (since 2019)
- Valencian Community: Pilar Rosselló (since 2019)