Democracia21 this Saturday presented its electoral program for the general elections of November 29 under the slogan "The Spain we deserve", with the renewal of institutions, access to housing, and the modernization of public services as its main priorities. The party led by Miriam González Durántez proposes to reduce political advisers by 90%, eliminate aforamientos, mobilize 10,000 million euros in unexecuted European funds to build affordable housing, and apply tax incentives to companies that improve the wages of their workers. (((See here the program The Spain we deserve)))
The document brings together 112 measures distributed across five major blocks and 32 thematic areas, according to the information published by the party on its website. Among the proposals are also the creation of specialized courts against corruption, the elimination of taxes on housing for young people, a single application for all administrative procedures, and a new contribution system for self-employed workers.
The party, which is running in the elections for Madrid and Barcelona on a slate that includes Ciudadanos, argues that improving public services must begin with professionalizing the administrations. "We can't aspire to have better public services if their management is in the hands of people with credentials and political appointments who devote themselves to parties, not to addressing citizens' needs," González says.
Fewer advisers, an end to aforamientos, and appointments based on merit
Under the heading "Spain Clean", Democracia21 proposes to modify the appointment system in the Public Administration and public companies in order to replace political designation criteria with open procedures based on merit, ability, and experience.
Among its measures, it highlights the reduction of 90% of advisers, the elimination of all political aforamientos, and the depoliticization of the governing bodies of Justice. It also calls for independence for oversight bodies and the creation of specialized courts for corruption offenses.
The party wants to prevent those who have committed corruption crimes from being able to hold public posts again and proposes strengthening the instruments for monitoring spending.
González has called on PSOE and PP to agree on a reform of the system for appointing middle-level positions in the Administration, without waiting for a broader agreement on institutional organization.
Housing with rents temporarily limited and 10,000 million euros in European funds
In matters of housing, Democracia21 combines measures for temporary market intervention with tax incentives and new investments to expand supply.
The program includes an exceptional and temporary limitation on rents, along with public guarantees to protect small property owners. It also proposes eliminating housing-related taxes for young people and reducing them generally.
To increase the construction of affordable housing, it proposes mobilizing 10,000 million euros from European funds that have not yet been executed through a sovereign public fund. The initiative would require having those resources available for the proposed purpose.
To this, it adds a National Neighborhoods Plan for ten years, designed to develop new residential environments with transport, public services, and facilities.
Tax cuts to improve wages and facilitate business activity
The economic program includes tax incentives linked to productivity. Democracia21 proposes that wage supplements associated with real productivity improvements be taxed at 5% in the IRPF. According to its calculations, a worker with an average salary who received a 2,000-euro bonus would obtain about 500 euros net in addition to ordinary taxation.
Companies that increase wages above the CPI would enjoy an automatic tax deduction, while SMEs would be taxed at 5% in the corporate income tax on profits reinvested in growth, hiring, or wage improvements.
For self-employed workers, the plan proposes voluntarily calculating monthly contributions based on the actual income from the previous month, rather than relying on billing forecasts. It also includes a "ERTE for the self-employed" that would allow access to temporary protection in the event of a drop in income without needing to close the business.
The creation of companies would be simplified through a completely digital procedure that, according to the electoral commitment, would make it possible to set up an SME in one hour.
An application for all procedures and aid granted ex officio
Another of the proposals consists of bringing together all administrative procedures into a single mobile application during the next legislature. Citizens would not have to provide documents that were already in the possession of the administrations and would receive automatic financial compensation when legal resolution deadlines were not met.
Democracia21 also proposes granting scholarships, tax deductions, aid for childbirth, and benefits such as the minimum vital income to those who meet the requirements, without the need to submit an application.
In the event of a natural disaster, those affected would receive a first emergency payment of up to 1,000 euros and the rest of the aid within a maximum period of 72 hours, according to the proposed model.
The program maintains in-person support without an appointment for those who prefer to carry out their procedures directly and provides that each citizen can check who has accessed their personal data and for what reason.
Health and education with new measures for professionals and students
In healthcare, the party proposes gradually eliminating on-site 24-hour shifts, recognizing level A1 for nursing staff, and approving a new Statute of the Medical Profession. It also aims to incorporate artificial intelligence tools to reduce administrative tasks, always under professional supervision.
In education, it proposes making degrees more flexible, expanding practical training, and introducing technological, economic, and financial knowledge. Improving the conditions for teachers and evaluating the education system complete this section.
The document also includes, commitments to equality between women and men, the rights of LGTBIQ+ people, the fight against domestic violence, and the inclusion of people with disabilities.
To make it easier to consult the proposals, Democracia21 has enabled on its website Agente21, a tool that makes it possible to search for specific measures and consult the sections of the electoral program.