![[Img #74675]](https://thelatestnews.world/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/They-discover-a-new-class-of-X-ray-sources-in-the-150x150.jpg)
A little over four months before the start of the new electoral cycle that will open on May 28 with the regional and municipal elections, PACMA has renewed its image and has changed its name, although it maintains the initials: it will no longer be the Animalist Party against Animal Abuse but the Animalist Party with the Environment. According to the new president of the formation, everything is explained in that its objective is “to be that reference green party in Spain that currently does not occupy any formation.”
The group has included in its program more initiatives dedicated to the environment because “it is a current demand from society,” Luna said in statements to elDiario.es. Its board of directors has recently been renewed and, in addition, it has established a “more current” logo while maintaining its essence: the bull and the bird, but with a new green color in reference to its new name. “We cover the defense of the environment, animal protection and human rights”, explains its president.
Among his proposals is to create the “revolution of environmental empathy”, the end of macro-farms and an Animal Protection Law that includes all animals without discrimination. In this new planning they incorporate 140 environmental measures, in addition to the animal protection initiatives that they already had in the past.
Although it has changed its name, its logo and its board of directors, Luna claims that, basically, its commitment remains the same. “We are totally faithful to our ideals, we have never sold our principles. PACMA is made up of people who do not need politics to live, we are honest and that is something that is being lost in politics,” she says.
In the last general elections, PACMA did not win a seat in Congress, although it was positioned as the party with the most votes without parliamentary representation in the 2015 and 2019 elections. According to the latest Barometer published by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) in December 2022 , PACMA has a vote estimate of 1.1% for the next electoral cycle, compared to 1.5% that it had in the same study of October 2022.
2023 now coincides with the 20th anniversary of the party since its creation in 2003 and will focus on “achieving political representation in municipal and regional elections”. PACMA will be presented in many municipalities in Spain and in all the autonomies, as well as in the general elections. “Our proposal is to bet heavily on the municipal elections because we believe that the jump to the general elections goes through making a good campaign in the town halls,” they raise from the animalist formation.
Regarding the candidates that PACMA will present, it is confirmed that its president, Javier Luna, will run as a candidate for Mayor of Córdoba. He is from the city and his candidacy is in line with another of the party’s new strategies, which consists of running in municipalities where they “really” have a chance of getting representation through candidates who are well-known local faces.
The candidate for the general elections has not yet been decided and within the party they opt for opening that melon after the municipal and regional elections, although they do assure that “PACMA will stand in the general elections, as it has always done, hoping to get political representation.”
In recent weeks, PSOE and Unidas Podemos have been in conflict over their differences regarding the Animal Welfare Bill proposed by the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda led by Ione Belarra. As explained by the minister, this law “seeks to end impunity for abusers and animal abandonment.”
The amendment made by the Socialists that proposes excluding hunting dogs from this Law went ahead on December 22 in Congress, although without the support of United We Can. In this way, the Animal Protection Law is scheduled to be approved by 2023, if the parliamentary groups manage to reach an agreement.
However, after the amendment presented by the PSOE and for the Law to go ahead, Belarra proposed following the model of the animal protection law of Castilla La-Mancha in force since 2020, baptized as “the Page model”. The proposal implies that hunting dogs are exempt from the sanctioning application of the law only during hunting activities. “It is not our ideal model, but we think that it is urgent that this Law be approved in Congress”, affirmed Belarra. For her part, Yolanda Díaz, Second Vice President of the Government, assured that “this Law regulates the rights of all animals and represents a qualitative leap for Spain in ecological progress and animal protection.”
From PACMA they do not agree with these statements or with the decision to finally exclude hunting dogs from the new Animal Protection Law. “There is total ignorance on the part of Yolanda Díaz or Ione Belarra when they say that this regulation defends all animals against animal abuse because it does not include animals from bullfighting or hunting dogs,” explains the president of the formation.
In addition, the animalist party has called several demonstrations in more than 20 Spanish cities for this January 8 at 12:00 with the aim of protesting against the exclusion of hunting dogs from the bill, which has not yet completed its parliamentary process. .
After learning of the decision to exclude hunting dogs, PACMA has asked United We Can to withdraw the Animal Protection Bill before its final approval because “it leaves animals unprotected.” In 2021, in Spain, 13% of all abandoned dogs were due to the end of the hunting season. This figure represents a total of 21,800 abandoned hunting dogs in 2021 at the end of the season, according to data from the Affinity Foundation.
The animalist party does not consider that political parties have a greater concern for the environment or the protection of animals despite initiatives such as the Animal Welfare Law. “There is no more concern, only that when the electoral campaigns arrive they try to include things to win over the electorate,” says Luna.
“Politicians always join the bullfighting or hunting lobby, for the benefit of their voters,” says the president of PACMA. From the animalist party they consider that the measure of the PSOE to exclude hunting dogs is closely related to the proximity of the general elections. “They understand that this harms their voters, especially in the communities where they govern, such as Castilla La-Mancha.”
In the previous elections PACMA rejected the convergence with other parties and this year it will do the same in the general elections, but not in the regional and municipal elections where they are considering possibilities of convergence with parties that share the same ideology on animal and environmental issues. This is the case of the Balearic Islands, where PACMA has recently announced a coalition agreement with the Progreso en Verde party ahead of the May 28 elections. This coalition with another political formation is the first in the history of PACMA, which until now has always run alone.
