Spanish Alternative (, AES) () is a far-right political party in Spain. It describes itself as "social Christian and cross-sectional". Its Secretary General is the lawyer and businessman Rafael López-Diéguez, former member of the far-right New Force, active formation during the Transition and managed by his father-in-law, the historic leader Blas Piñar, who was named honorary president of AES, a post which he held until his death in January 2014.Casals i Meseguer, 2009, p. 252. «Finalmente, del ámbito fuerzanuevista surgió también una nueva formación en el 2003, Alternativa Española [AES], que se desvinculó oficialmente de discursos nostálgicos. Su líder, Rafael López-Diéguez (yerno de Piñar), definió así su meta: «[AES] debería ser el partido que obligara al PP a no deslizarse hacia ese centro en el que confluyen todos y por lo tanto carente de toda ideología y principios, salvo el de ‘todo vale’»»
History Spanish Alternative was founded with the support of Fuerza Nueva Editorial; it was in its registered office where the party had its first headquarters. AES was founded in 21 of April 2003. According to its General Secretary, AES aroused "because the PP betrayed its Catholic voters and the Spanish people as a whole". It maintained contacts with the party Navarrese and Spanish Right (DNE).
Ideology AES holds its program declaration and its public action in four principles: the "defense of life" (opposition to any type of abortion), the "pro-family", "Christian roots" and the "unity of Spain". When the party has to place itself on the political spectrum, AES defines itself as a cross-sectional party that is positioned on the right in moral matter and on the left in social and economic matter. Thus, AES considers homosexual adoption to be an attack on the family and is against same-sex marriages and even same-sex civil unions. It has been described as akin to "fundamentalist Catholicism".Alonso y Kaltwasser, 2014, pp. 3-4. «At the same time, there is also a traditional extreme right in Spain, represented by myriad Falangist parties, by the openly Francoist party Fuerza Nueva (New Force), founded by Blas Piñar in 5 1976 and which experienced relative—though ephemeral—success in 1979, and by the new party Alternativa Española (Spanish Alternative). These parties share a common worldview that is clearly totalitarian»Büttner, 2011, p. 184. «Parties like Alternativa Española and Movimiento Católico Español link up with the Catholic-fundamentalist spectrum»
Spanish Alternative takes a hard line on the Autonomic State by proposing to abolish the autonomous communities.Entrevista de AD a Francisco Torres, portavoz de AES: “O ponemos fin al Estado de las Autonomías o ellas acaban con España”, Alerta Digital To the party's mind, the State of Autonomies is unviable and unsustainable because it constitutes an economic catastrophe, because it has been the main contributory factor to the present crisis, because it promotes the breach of the national integrity and cohesion in its continuing development and because it entails unequal rights among Spaniards depending on their place of birth or residence. However, AES would keep the provincial privileges of Navarre and the Basque Country.
Although AES doesn't use symbols of Franco's regime, the party has been described as neo-Francoist as well as being considered to be inheritor of New Force.
Election results In the municipal elections of 2015, the party gained five town councillors. Two of these councillors were elected in Las Labores, and one each were elected in Ampuero, Bárcena de Pie de Concha and Villanueva de la Condesa.
European Parliament Election year # of total votes % of overall vote # of seats won RankNotes 2009 19,583 0.12% 13 201417,8790.11%25Inside the coalition Social Impulse201911,7980.05%26Inside ADÑ - Spanish Identity
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