The results are in: With 72.98% turnout, members voted an overwhelming ‘YES!’ to whether DiEM25 should be able to compete in elections. This vote is the result of an immense exercise of consensus building after months of passionate internal debate, hundreds of amendments and proposals from members across the world, two Facebook Live chats, a Q+A, and several articles.
Crucially, this does not mean our movement will transform into a political party — rather, we now have the option of being both! Today’s decision is a go-ahead from our members to set up an ‘electoral wing’, with which we may compete in future elections. DiEM25 members do not have to join our electoral efforts if they prefer not to… but every DiEM25 member will continue to take part in shaping DiEM25 policies across Europe!
So what’s our next step? While the Establishment arrests politicians in Catalonia and artists in Serbia, and looks the other way while the rich evade taxes, we continue to build alliances with progressive political actors at all levels — national, municipal and regional — to bring our European New Deal proposals to ‘a ballot box near you’. Like Razem in Poland, The Alternative in Denmark, the Czech Republic (where two of our members were recently elected to parliament) and progressive politicians in Italy, France, Spain, Croatia and beyond.
But now, empowered by our members’ landmark decision today, we’re also poised to potentially register political parties in key battlegrounds where alliances may not be possible or desirable.
As ever, our members will decide. Thanks to all who voted. These difficult times just became a little more hopeful — join us and let’s take back Europe!
(Quick details of the vote: Only full members who verified their identity, accessed their account in the last three months and joined us after the vote was called, could vote. The total number of people that fit this criteria were 8,312, out of 60,000 total members. Turnout was 72.98%, therefore 6,066 people.)
