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Irene Montero's candidacy does not have any pending parliamentary processing for the European elections. Her candidacy for the June 9, 2024 elections completed the electoral procedure and Montero was elected as a Member of the European Parliament. As of November 6, 2026, the sources consulted do not confirm a new candidacy formalized by her for future European elections.

Which procedure was completed in 2024

It is important to distinguish between a parliamentary initiative and an electoral candidacy. In this case, the official acts located correspond to the Central Electoral Board: proclamation of candidacies, proclamation of elected persons, and issuance of credentials. Therefore, it is not a proposal pending approval in the Congress or the Senate, but an electoral procedure that has already ended.

The documented sequence is as follows:

• May 13, 2024: the Central Electoral Board proclaimed the candidacies for the European Parliament elections on June 9. Irene Montero was at the head of the Podemos list. This is the act that confirms that her candidacy had passed the presentation phase and had been officially proclaimed. It can be consulted in the proclamation of candidacies.
• June 9, 2024: the elections were held. Podemos obtained two seats, corresponding to Irene Montero and Isa Serra, as reported by Demócrata on the results.
• June 27, 2024: the Central Electoral Board proclaimed the elected persons, including Montero. The resolution was published the next day in the BOE. This milestone is different from the initial proclamation of the list: it already recognizes the voting result. See the proclamation of elected.
• July 1, 2024: the Central Electoral Board certified that Montero had met the requirements of article 224.2 of the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime and issued her the credential as an elected Member of the European Parliament. The certification was published on July 2 in the BOE on credentials.

Why there may be confusion with the upcoming elections

The most recent information found about a new candidacy of Irene Montero refers to the general elections of November 29, 2026, not to European elections. These are different processes and those news do not change the status of the European procedure concluded in 2024.

Specifically, Demócrata reported on October 6, 2026, that Montero, then identified as a Member of the European Parliament, had shown her willingness to run in the general elections, linked to negotiations about a joint candidacy. That information described a political negotiation, not a European candidacy pending parliamentary authorization. This is reflected in the article about MEPs before the 29N.

Later, on October 14, the newspaper reported the start of primaries promoted by Podemos, in which Montero ran, to choose electoral references for the 29N. That internal party process also did not equate to a proclamation of candidacy to the European Parliament: it explicitly referred to the general elections. See the news about Podemos primaries.

In conclusion: if you refer to her 2024 European candidacy, the procedure is finished and resulted in her election. If you ask about a future European candidacy, its formalization is not recorded in the sources consulted; the October 2026 news mentioned refer to her participation in the general elections.

A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a representative elected by direct universal suffrage to be part of the European Parliament. Their competencies and functions are mainly defined by the EU Treaties (Treaty on European Union and Treaty on the Functioning of the EU), the internal Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament, and, regarding their election and status in Spain, by Spanish legislation (especially the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime, LOREG). Below is a summary of their main functions from the European and Spanish perspectives.

1. Legislative function

The European Parliament shares legislative power with the Council of the EU in most matters through the ordinary legislative procedure. Within this framework, an MEP:

• Proposes and negotiates amendments to legislative proposals from the European Commission (regulations, directives, and decisions), both in parliamentary committees and in Plenary.
• Acts as rapporteur or “shadow rapporteur”: can be appointed rapporteur of a file (drafts the main report, negotiates compromises) or alternative rapporteur on behalf of their political group.
• Votes on European laws in committees and Plenary, contributing to approving, modifying, or rejecting legislative acts that are either directly applicable or must be transposed by Member States, including Spain.
• Promotes own-initiative reports, which are not laws but serve to guide future action by the Commission and the Council on a specific topic.

2. Budgetary and financial control function

The European Parliament, and thus each MEP, has decisive powers over the EU budget:

• Co-decides the annual Union budget together with the Council: can propose amendments, increase or reduce certain items, and ultimately approve or reject the budget.
• Participates in oversight of budget execution, especially through the Budgetary Control Committee (CONT), examining how EU funds are spent in Member States.
• Votes on the “discharge”, i.e., approval or rejection of the budget management by the Commission and other bodies, which is a very relevant political control instrument.

3. Political control and appointment function

The Parliament exercises control over other EU institutions, and each MEP participates in it:

• Election of the President of the European Commission: the Parliament elects the Commission President upon proposal by the European Council.
• Approval of the College of Commissioners: MEPs question commissioner candidates in public hearings and vote on the Commission as a whole.
• Motions of censure against the Commission: can support or sign a motion of censure and vote on it.
• General political control: through written and oral questions, debates, resolutions, and appearances, they oversee the actions of the Commission, the Council, and other EU bodies.

4. Citizen and territorial representation

From the perspective of Spanish legislation, MEPs elected in Spain:

• Are representatives of the Spanish citizenry before the EU, elected through closed and blocked lists in a single nationwide constituency.
• Have the duty to defend the general interests of the Union, not only national interests, although in practice they also articulate Spain's priorities and often those of their autonomous community or sector.
• Channel concerns from citizens, companies, NGOs, and Spanish administrations to European institutions through amendments, reports, questions, requests for studies, and other parliamentary instruments.

5. Rights, obligations, and incompatibility regime

The legal status of an MEP combines European and Spanish rules:

• Enjoys European parliamentary immunity under the terms established by EU law and reinforced by Spanish internal law, which protects the free exercise of their mandate (with mechanisms for possible lifting of immunity).
• Is subject to an incompatibility regime: European regulations and LOREG prevent, among other things, simultaneously being a member of a national parliament, holding certain national or European executive functions, or occupying positions that may generate conflicts of interest.
• Must comply with the codes of conduct of the European Parliament (transparency of interests, declaration of activities and assets, rules on gifts and travel, etc.).

6. Internal work and public projection

Besides formal functions, the daily activity of an MEP includes:

• Participation in parliamentary sectoral committees (environment, international trade, agriculture, etc.), where most legislative and control work is prepared.
• Work in interparliamentary delegations and friendship groups, which manage the Parliament's relations with third countries and international organizations.
• Political and communicative activity in their Member State: meetings with public and private actors, media presence, accountability, and explaining European decisions to the Spanish citizenry.

In summary, an MEP combines three levels of responsibility: making European laws and budgets, politically controlling EU institutions, and representing the citizenry—in this case, the Spanish—before the Union, within a legal framework defined by European Treaties, the Parliament's Rules, and Spanish electoral and incompatibility legislation.

Before being designated as the PP candidate for Congress for Guipúzcoa, Jon Echeverría Franco had developed a background focused on Nuevas Generaciones, university studies, and political communication. He had led a municipal candidacy but had not held an elected public office. His profile was that of a student and youth leader with television presence, not that of a professional with a prolonged career outside politics.

Education and university stage

Born in San Sebastián in 2004, he completed his pre-university studies at a Jesuit center in the city. Published profiles highlight his high school record, with an average close to ten and honors. Later, he began the double degree in Law and Economics at Carlos III University of Madrid, which he was still studying when he was chosen as a candidate. These backgrounds are recorded in El Diario Vasco and AS.

During his university stage, he also served as a student representative. Some information attributes additional responsibilities in the representation bodies of his faculty; it is important to distinguish that university activity from professional employment or an institutional public office.

Affiliation and responsibilities in the PP

He joined the People's Party at 17 years old and became part of Nuevas Generaciones, its youth organization. Before leading the Congress list, he had assumed responsibilities in the Guipúzcoa organization related to political ideology, and later served as national deputy secretary of Political Ideology of Nuevas Generaciones, according to profiles published by ABC and El Correo.

These were internal party responsibilities: they did not equate to a seat, a council position, or a government post. The sources consulted do not record prior membership in another party.

The 2023 municipal candidacy

His first electoral experience was as the PP candidate for Mayor of Zumárraga in the municipal elections on May 28, 2023, when he was 18 years old. The candidacy obtained 73 votes, approximately 1.58%, and did not gain representation. Therefore, Echeverría did not become a councilor nor gain municipal management experience from an elected office. This background is recorded in elDiario.es.

Associations and media presence

In the associative field, he is listed as co-founder of Voces Libres España, whose creation began to be developed in August 2023. According to the ABC profile, he was initially Director of Organization and in April 2024 moved to General Management. He has also been reported as a volunteer at Agintzari and at the Lamourous elderly residence.

In parallel, he gained notoriety as a panelist on Espejo Público, En boca de todos, and laSexta Xplica, in addition to his political communication activity on social media. The sources confirm these collaborations but do not detail his employment conditions nor allow presenting them as a professional career of a determined duration.

What he was doing immediately before becoming a candidate

When the PP announced his designation on October 18, 2026, he was balancing Law and Economics studies, his responsibilities in Nuevas Generaciones, and media appearances. Demócrata places the announcement on that date. In short, he had organizational, associative, electoral, and communicative experience, but no prior career as a practicing lawyer or economist, business executive, or public administration official is recorded.