Spain: New Year, New Party, New System  · Global Voices
Lali Sandiumenge

This article is part of our special news coverage Europe in Crisis.
“Happy 2013! The year in which we will reinitiate the system.” This was the first message that appeared on Twitter on December 31st at midnight from Partido X, Partido del Futuro (Party X, Party of the Future), a new political group that has burst onto the Spanish Internet scene with force. In less than two days and with only three tweets, it has gotten over 2,500 followers.
@Partido_X tweeted a teaser online in which it presents itself as a “citizen operation to evacuate the parliament.” With the esthetics and narrative of an old sci-fi movie, they declare that they come from the future, where there has been a triumph of “democracy, period.”
It deals with a declaration of war against traditional parties, which the Partido del Futuro promises to develop with concrete proposals next Tuesday, when they will grant the public access to their website. “Pardon us if we make you wait until the 8th. Being wary of a party is essential. Thank you for your mistrust,” they wrote on Twitter.
The new group registered itself in the list of parties at the Spanish Internal Ministry on December 17 and is made up of at least hundreds of people from all over Spain, ranging from Catalonia to Valencia and Andalusia, passing through Madrid, Navarra and Galicia. It is making itself known anonymously, to avoid attracting attention and break away from creating conventional policies. “We are what we do and so far we haven't done anything,” they explain. They also separate themselves from the 15M (the Spanish indignant movement) although they share many of their messages and citizen petitions, which they have articulated under their umbrella for the past two years.
Partido del Futuro Spain. Taken from their Facebook page.
Inciting the enigma and suspense with much humor, the Partido del Futuro has generated a good discussion and a lot of excitement online. The teaser was viewed over 17,000 times and their Facebook page [es] already has more than 800 fans. Additionally, it gave birth to a replica of parties with letters that reproduce like mushrooms and interact quite ironically amongst one another and other users: from Party Z [es], Party V [es], Party Y [es], Party A [es] and Party W [es] to Party THC [es] or Party OBDC [es], among others.
@partido_z:  El @Partido_Z hará una oposición responsable al @Partido_X
@partido_z: @Partido_Z will start a responsible opposition to @Partido_X
@partido_a:  NI @Partido_X, NI @Partido_Z, NI @Partido_y, NI @Partido_XD, NI @Partido_W… PORQUE NOSOTROS YA ESTÁBAMOS ANTES
@partido_a: NOT @Partido_X, NOR @Partido_Z, NOR @Partido_y, NOR @Partido_XD, NOR @Partido_W… BECAUSE WE CAME FIRST
@partido_v:  @partido_a @Partido_X @Partido_Z @Partido_y @Partido_XD @Partido_W Ya salió el elitista: “Yo fui primero, yo fui primero”. Ayer no te vimos!
@partido_v:  @partido_a @Partido_X @Partido_Z @Partido_y @Partido_XD @Partido_W The elitist already showed up. “I was first, I was first.” Yesterday we didn't see you!
@partido_y: ¡¡Abajo los @partido_x @partido_z y @partido_v !! Larga vida al @partido_y
@partido_y: Down with @partido_x @partido_z and @partido_v !! Long live @partido_y
@zmartes:  @partido_x @partido_v @partido_z @partido_mdma que está pasando? son todos extraterrestres?
@zmartes:  @partido_x @partido_v @partido_z @partido_mdma what's going on? are they all extraterrestrials?
@piruletaklo: Joder! dos dias sin movil y cuando vuelves han crecido partidos como champis @Partido_Z @Partido_X @Partido_y @Partido_xy @Partido_yx #wtf?
@piruletaklo: Damn! Two days without a cell phone and when you come back, parties have sprouted like mushrooms @Partido_Z @Partido_X @Partido_y @Partido_xy @Partido_yx #wtf?
The birth of Partido X has also generated criticisms and suspicion online, in addition to welcome messages. The following are some of the tweets with which the group has been received:
@guerraeterna: Mal comienzo del Partido X (sic) con un logo que parece el de una secta y un vídeo de horrible factura
@guerraeterna: Partido X (sic) is off to a bad start with a logo that makes them look like a sect and a video that was made horribly.
@huyelobo: ‘El Partido X es un dispositivo ciudadano que..’ hala, que os den por el USB
@huyelobo: ‘Partido X is a citizen device that..’ come on, screw yourselves with a USB
@2bassileo: “Partido X” … creating a party is not like debuting a movie. A “teaser” is not enough! I want content and I want to know who is behind it.
@jordiaros: Esto del @Partido_X pinta muy, pero que muy bien! Nosotras nos vamos a divertir, pero “ellos” no tanto… #AbajoElRégimen #15M
@jordiaros: This whole @Partido_X thing looks really, really good! We are going to have fun, but “them” not so much … #AbajoElRégimen (#UndertheRegime) #15M
@yorchez Con ganas de que llegue el día 8 para ver si @Partido_X es el cambio que muchos estamos deseando que al fin llegue…
@yorchez Wanting the 8th to come to see if @Partido_X is the change that many of us have been hoping would finally arrive…
@rubenmartinez: This is going to be a year of political experiments. As it was coming to be, but hopefully with more bite. Welcome, @Partido_X, we'll be listening on January 8.
@hibai: All of this about @Partido_X will be more interesting once they reveal that they chose that name because it's actually porn. #CicciolinaReloaded
They affirm that they are serious and will “raise the curtain” on the 8th to present their proposals and the “democracy, period” model, without intermediaries, to which they aspire: currently they only say that it will be a collaborative plan in phases, in which everyone will be able to participate.
“We haven't come here to promise you anything. We have come to offer you some tools to transform an unpresentable present,” they explain. They say it is about returning power to the people.
This article is part of our special news coverage Europe in Crisis.