Last modified: 2019-09-01 by ivan sache
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Flag of IU, two versions - Images by Tomislav Todorović, 24 February 2019
See also:
Izquierda Unida (IU - United Left; website), established in 1986 as a political and social movement, was registered on 2 November 1992 as a political party.
The founding members of IU are the Partido Comunista de España (PCE -
Communist Party of Spain), the Partido Socialista Unificado de Cataluña (PSUC - Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia), the Partido de Acción Socialista (PASOC - Party of Socialist Action), Izquierda Republicana
(IR - Republican Left), the Federación Progresista (FP - Progressist
Federation; left in 1987 and winded up in 1988), the Partido Humanista (Humanist Party; expelled in 1986), and the Partido Carlista (Carlist
Party; expelled in 1986). They were subsequently joined by the Partido
Comunista de los Pueblos de España (PCPE - Communist Party of the
Peoples of Spain; left in 1989) and the Colectivo de Unidad de los
Trabajadores-Bloque Andaluz de Izquierdas (CUT-BAI - Collective of the
Unity of the Workers - Andalusian Bloc of Left).
IU obtained 7 representatives in the 1986 general elections. This number
increased to 17 in 1989, IU being the third political party by the
number of received votes. In 1996, IU secured 21 seats at the Parliament.
IU subsequently experienced several internal crises, in spite of the
Refoundation of the Left initiate in November 2009. As of today, the
organizations affiliated to IU are:
- Partido Comunista de España (PCE - Communist Party of Spain), leader
of the coalition since 2008;
- Unión de Juventudes Comunistas de España (UJCE - Union of Communist
Youth of Spain);
- Izquierda Abierta (IzAb - Open Left):
- Izquierda Republicana (IR - Republican Left);
- Ecosocialistas de la Región de Murcia (EcoSocialists of the Region of
Murcia);
- Iniciativa por El Hierro (Initiative for El Hierro);
- Partido Obrero Revolucionario (PRO - Revolutionary Workers' Party);
- Partido Feminista de España (PFE - Feminist Party of Spain)
Ivan Sache, 28 February 2019
The current logo has been used since 2008, as reflected on the party's flags, either on a white (photo, photo, photo, photo) or a red (photo, photo, photo, photo, photo) field. Both flags may be used together (photo).
Aware of the loose value of the logo and of the organizational,
political and economical costs induced by the proliferation of variant
logos, IU decided to rebrand its image.
Under the guidance of Alejo Sanz, the party adopted in 2006 a new
emblem, fully red and framed within a rectangle slanted to the left;
deemed coherent, the logo clearly emphasizes the political orientation
of IU. According to Sanz, red was selected as the party's "historical
color". The shape of the logo was "more modern, more dynamic and more
friendly". The use of a single color reduced the printing costs.
IU, however, designed a series of official logos for its regional
branches, more faithful to the party's logo than previously, though.
Miguel Gosálvez, Professor at the Institute of Political Marketing of
the Camilo José Cela university, analyzed the new logo as follows.
The writing "Izquierda Unida" appears in two sizes of the Helvetica
Narrow font type. This is a balanced choice that favors the graphic
arrangement of the emblem in combination with the graphic element.
Placing the party's acronym on a colored block appears to be a general
trend. This choice increases the capacity of identification and the
homogeneity of the design. The element is formed of letters "IU" using
the same typography as in the former logo. The red rectangle is rotated
at 20 degrees. The resulting logo is abstract, without allegory, analogy
or emblem, in total opposition to the hammer and sickle logo of the PCE.
The rectangle is shaped like a comic's phylactery, adding a touch of humor.
[ABC, 15 May 2015]
Tomislav Todorović & Ivan Sache, 28 February 2019
Former flag of IU
Former flag of IU - Image by Tomislav Todorović, 24 February 2019
The previous flag of IU (photo, photo, photo) was in use from 1989 to 2008, although few remaining copies seem to have been kept in use after that time.
In its first elections campaigns (Andalusian and general elections,
1986; municipal elections, 1987), IU competed under the banners of its
main components, the PCE, the PASOC and the FP.
In 1988, a public contest was launched for the design of a proper
logotype, rewarded with a prize of 500,000 pesetas. The winning design
was a quite harmless, gray and green logo, with a touch of red. The logo
deliberately lacked the ideological load of the Communist hammer and
sickle. Its use was not homogeneous, with significant variations
according to the regions, incorporating regional elements and changing
the party's acronym (for instance, EU for Esquarra Unida in the
Valencian Community), and sometimes incorporating totally new graphic
elements (for instance, in the case of Ezquer Batua in the Basque Country).
[ABC, 15 May 2015]
Tomislav Todorović & Ivan Sache, 26 February 2019
Izquierda Unida Los Verdes-Convocatoria por Andalucía
Flag of IULV-CA - Image by Ivan Sache, 28 February 2019
Izquierda Unida Los Verdes-Convocatoria por Andalucía (IULV-CA - United
Left The Greens-Call for Andalusia)) is the Andalusian branch of IU. The
party was established in 1984 as Convocatoria por Andalucía.
According to Appendix IV of the party's Statutes (text), approved in December
2008, IULV-CA was then composed of the following organizations:
- Partido Comunista de Andalucía (PACA - Communist Party of Andalusia);
- Colectivo de Unidad de los Trabajadores - Bloque Andaluz de
Izquierda (CUT-BAI - Collective of Workers' Unity-Andalusian Left Bloc; renamed to Candidatura Unitaria de Trabajadores/as in 2014; left in 2015);
- Juventud Comunista de Andalucía (JCA - Communist Youth of Andalusia);
- Iniciativa Socialista de Andalucía (ISA - Socialist Initiative of
Andalusia).
The flag of IULV-CA (photo,
photo,
photo) is white with the party's logotype.
The symbol of IULV-CA is prescribed in the party's graphic charter as "in coherence with the new version of the symbol at the federal level", that is, composed of the party's logotype framed within a green, slanted rectangle. The logotype is composed of the old symbol of IU, the green
"u"" being placed over a yellow sun, representing the Greens. Beneath is
written the full party name, on two lines separated by a thin gray line,
first, "izquierda unida" [gray] "los verdes" [green], second,
"convocatoria for andalucĂa" [gray].
Ivan Sache, 28 February 2019
Izquierda Unida-Verdes de la Región de Murcia
Flag of IUVRM - Image by Ivan Sache, 28 February 2019
The flag of IUVRM (photo) is white with the party's emblem.
Ivan Sache, 28 February 2019
Ezker Anitza
Flag of Ezker Anitza - Image by Tomislav Todorović, 31 March 2019
Ezker Anitza, often styled as Ezker Anitza-IU, is the
regional branch of Izquierda Unida in the Basque Country.
It was founded as the result of a split in Ezker Batua-Berdeak
(United Left-Greens), the original regional branch of the Izquierda
Unida (founded in 1986). The name was first used at the general
elections in November 2011, because the faction supported by the
national leadership of Izquierda Unida was not permitted to use the
name Ezker Batua-Berdeak, which had been assigned to the other faction
by the court decision. Official founding of Ezker Anitza took place on
28 January 2012, along with the disestablishment of Ezker Batua-Berdeak,
which still continued under the same name as the Basque Country
section of Izquierda Abierta (Open Left), which was officially
founded on 22 September 2012, thus indirectly rejoining Izquierda Unida,
to be eventually disbanded on 19 September 2014.
[Wikipedia, Wikipedia ]
The flag of Ezker Anitza (photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo) is derived from that of Izquierda Unida by replacing the name of the user, which is still inscribed in the same manner (the first word in regular and the second one in bold typeface). The flag seems to be somewhat less oblong than its model and the charges are often, although not necessarily, set off-centre, usually closer to the fly (rarely, closer to the hoist).
Tomislav Todorović, 31 March 2019