Spain's latest 'centrist liberal party' arrives already written off

Spain's umpteenth 'centrist liberal party' lands amid widespread mockery

A new political project is being announced in Spain: liberal, centrist, dialogue-friendly and respectful of the nation's quirks. It sounds like déjà vu. And for good reason: it is attempt number 840,384,034,303 —or so it seems— to create a centrist party that, according to its promoters, will fill the void between the PP and PSOE. The response from a certain segment of the commentariat has been immediate: scepticism, ridicule and the usual question: again?

The corpse of Ciudadanos is still warm

The memory of Ciudadanos hovers over any project that smells of low-cost liberalism. The orange party tried something similar barely a decade ago: tax cuts, scrapping self-employed contributions, a message of common sense. The result: it was labelled far right by much of the media ecosystem, accused of soft fascism and ultimately swallowed up by the two-party system. The analysis of what peine to Ciudadanos serves as a warning: the centrist space in Spain is mined, whether by the clientelist reflexes of the PP and PSOE or by a polarisation that turns any nuance into heresy.

The 'focused centre' seen as an segarro

Some argue that the centre label means nothing or is a cover for avoiding commitment. It is suggested that the new party could drift towards socioliberal pogre or even a watered-down social democracy. The criticism is fierce: it is accused of being a party to preserve the status quo, of recycling old faces, and of being funded by murky interests. It is even mentioned that one of its promoters would be related by family to the vvife of Nick Clegg, the former British deputy prime minister — a detail that fuels distrust about its real independence.

Is there room for something different?

The million-dollar question is whether there is an electorate willing to vote for a party that is neither the PP, nor the PSOE, nor Vox, nor Sumar. Experience says the centrist vote has been diluted into abstention or swallowed by the blocs. The fact that the project presents itself as an 'independent platform from civil society' convinces no one: new parties always end up devoured by the party machine.

For now, the new party is just an announcement and a website. But scepticism is so thick that, if it fails this time, they will probably try again in a few years with another name, another leader and the same promises. It will be Groundhog Day, once again.