Irene Montero launches 2027 bid with open primaries and left-wing platform

Irene Montero, the former Equality Minister and current MEP for Podemos, has formally announced her candidacy for the 2027 Spanish general elections. In a rally held in Madrid under the slogan 'Paz, casa, trabajo' (Peace, home, work), she pledged to submit her leadership to open primaries in which any citizen can vote or even run against her. Her platform includes raising the minimum wage to €1,800 per month and reducing the workweek to 30 hours Source: abces, lavanguardia, elmundoes.

The primaries proposal

Montero stressed that she does not want to be the candidate "in any way" and therefore will hold primaries "open to everyone," allowing non-members to participate both as voters and as candidates Source: elespanol, elconfidencial. This move is seen as an attempt to broaden Podemos's appeal beyond its core membership and to rebuild a "strong" left-wing alternative not subordinated to the PSOE Source: infobae, elmundoes.

Policy platform and alliances

• Economic measures: Montero proposed a minimum wage of €1,800, a 30-hour workweek, lower energy prices, caps on food prices, and a ban on housing purchases by vulture funds Source: elconfidencial, abces.
• Antimilitarism: She strongly opposed increased defense spending, stating, "What madness to want a world in peace. If weapons are bought, they are meant to be used, not stored in a hangar" Source: abces.
• Alliances: While Podemos has not defined its coalition strategy, it has ruled out convergence with state-level parties and remains cold toward Sumar, which itself has yet to name a candidate for 2027 Source: infobae, elconfidencial.

The context

Podemos's secretary general, Ione Belarra, will run for the presidency of the Community of Madrid in the May 2027 regional elections. She praised Montero as "the fighting mother this country needs" for the presidency Source: elmundoes. Meanwhile, the broader left-wing space remains fragmented, with Sumar, IU, Más Madrid, and Comuns still in the process of selecting their own candidate Source: lavanguardia, infobae.