Diego Solier and Nora Junco were given the green light to join the fourth largest group in the European Parliament – but not the leader of the SALF party they belong to, Luis “Alvise” Pérez.
The right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament on Wednesday welcomed two new members, Diego Solier Fernández and Nora Junco García, from Spain’s anti-establishment party The Party is Over (SALF).
The two MEPs requested to join in July this year along with their leader, the controversial YouTuber Luis Pérez, better known as ‘Alvise’, who was not approved by the group led by Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia.
Both MEPs have left the Non-attached Group in the European Parliament with immediate effect to join the fourth-largest group as individual members, while Alvise will remain in the group of MEPs without a political group.
Members of the same national political party can sit in different groups in Parliament. The left-wing Spanish party Sumar currently has members in both The Left and The Greens/EFA, and the 5 Star Movement has experienced the same situation in the past.
The new ECR members bring the group’s total to 80, well behind the 87 of the far-right Patriots for Europe, and closely followed by the EU Liberals, who have 78 MEPs.
“Their arrival strengthens the ECR Group’s commitment to economic freedom, sovereignty, lean government and good governance,” the ECR statement also said.
Among the criteria for joining the ECR group in the Parliament are the principles enshrined in the so-called Prague Declaration, which includes opposition to EU federalism, the importance of the family as the bedrock of society, and effectively controlled immigration.
Before joining the Orbán-led Patriots for Europe group, Spain’s far-right Vox party was a member of the ECR group.
Euronews contacted the ECR group and Alvise’s cabinet for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Our journalists are working on developing the story.
