Irene Montero launches 2027 general election candidacy for Podemos with a 35-hour workweek platform

Campaign launch and economic platform

Irene Montero, a member of the European Parliament, former Spanish equality minister, and political secretary of Podemos, announced on Friday that she will seek to lead the alternative left in Spain's next general elections, scheduled for 2027. Montero is set to formalize her candidacy on Saturday at 12:00 during a party rally on Calle Larra in Madrid, located near the Tribunal metro station. Organized under the slogan "Paz, casa, trabajo" (Peace, home, work), the gathering will present five programmatic priorities designed for implementation during the first year of a new legislature. Montero's economic platform centres on capping housing prices and residential rents, reducing the standard workweek to 35 hours, and raising the statutory minimum wage to 1,800 euros per month. The campaign also focuses on lowering the cost of living and restoring household purchasing power relative to large corporate earnings.

Ahead of the Madrid event, Montero outlined her campaign message on social media.

Politics has to return to basics, because we only have one life and one planet: peace, home, work.

Security policy, climate goals, and digital strategy

Beyond domestic labor and housing regulations, Montero's program takes a firm position against increased military spending and establishes an environmental framework dedicated to fighting the climate emergency. Party sources stated that the platform aims to address widespread public dissatisfaction stemming from armed conflicts, inflation on essential goods, and the rise of right-wing parties such as Vox. The party intends to mobilize left-leaning voters through concrete commitments to social rights and public welfare. To support this outreach, the campaign plans an extensive presence across digital social networks, where Montero maintains a substantial audience reach.

Electoral alliances and parliamentary balance

The launch leaves unresolved the formal configuration of alliances across Spain's progressive political landscape. Podemos currently holds four seats in the Spanish Congress of Deputies within the Grupo Mixto, having separated from the Sumar coalition that it contested the 2023 general election with. Party leadership intends to build a distinct left-wing list that remains independent from the governing Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). However, Podemos maintains an active veto against Movimiento Sumar, the organization led by Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz. Sumar's allied factions, including Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, and Catalunya en Comú, have not yet chosen a joint candidate or brand for the 2027 contest. Previous explorations of an electoral tandem between Montero and Gabriel Rufián, the congressional spokesperson for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), did not materialize into a joint national ticket.

Organizational timeline and regional primaries

Montero's formal candidacy follows an internal selection process that began in April 2025, when Podemos secretary general Ione Belarra first designated her as the party's standard-bearer for the national vote. Alongside preparations for the general election, Podemos is conducting primary processes for upcoming regional and municipal ballots. Belarra is running as a candidate in the party's internal primaries to head the list for the Community of Madrid regional parliament. That regional bid seeks to return Podemos to the Madrid regional assembly after the party lost its parliamentary representation in the previous regional election cycle.