The Left will put forward Sira Rego MEP as its candidate for President of the European Parliament in the midterm elections in January 2022. 

Rego’s candidacy comes “at a time, and in a context, in which we have two great challenges: the rise of the extreme right & its war on human rights, and the eco-social crisis,” she said. 

“The answer to these challenges is feminism, environmentalism, public services, the welfare state, and quality employment. To achieve this, we need changed European institutions and a different kind of governance in Europe.” 

✊🏽 Anti-fascism
👩🏽‍⚕️ Workers' rights
♀️ Feminism
🌍 Climate action
🏳️‍🌈 Equality
🏥 Public services

"We need changed European institutions and a different kind of governance in Europe." @sirarego is our candidate for president of the European Parliament. pic.twitter.com/xXCnyPSG26

— The Left in the European Parliament (@Left_EU) December 8, 2021

Rego was first elected as an MEP in 2019, having previously worked at a cooperative in projects related to food sovereignty, and a local councillor in Rivas Vaciamadrid overseeing files on housing, sustainability, mobility and the environment. 

She has been involved in politics since the age of 20, when she joined the student movement, and is a longstanding activist in the feminist movement.

“Every day we see how migration policy, anti-women policy, anti-LGBTI policy, and the demolition of the welfare state are a reality in Europe. We need a collective response. A response that offers a future, that gives hope, that mobilises people.”