The founder and former general secretary of Vox, Ivan Espinosa de los Monteros, This Thursday he presented his new think tank Atenea at the Santa María de Toledo hotel. Accompanied by the city’s vice mayor, Inés Cañizares, who also holds this position … secretary-treasurer of this laboratory of ideas since its founding in September, the event brought together more than 200 people in an event that marks the arrival in Toledo of this group which wants to lead the cultural battle against the left and make the city a “center of thought and reflection”.
Among the participants, prominent figures from Vox de Toledo such as advisors Juan Marín and Daniel Morcillo, who were part of the public who came to learn about the Atenea project, a platform that aspires to become a center for reflection and proposals from a liberal-conservative perspective. In addition, a round table was held in which the consultant Fernando Lallana and the journalist from Toledo participated Marta Tomé They shared their vision on the social and economic challenges of Spanish society. The vice mayor of Toledo, Inés Cañizares, played an important role during the presentation. As secretary and treasurer of Atenea, Cañizares highlighted her commitment to the initiative: “It is an honor to present Atenea in Toledo, the most beautiful city in Spain and part of Europe,” she told the participants. In her speech, the leader of Vox highlighted Atenea’s objective of generating a space of free and plural thought, where Spain’s major challenges can be addressed from a perspective based on debate, reflection and citizen participation.
Cañizares thanked Iván Espinosa de los Monteros for his determination to launch this platform and highlighted the support of the “Atenea Ambassadors” who contributed to the project with their generosity and commitment. “Atenea is not a political party,” he stressed, seeking to distance itself from the conventional political label, emphasizing that it is a space open to reflection to provide solutions to the problems facing the country.
Thorny led Athena
Before the event, Ivan Espinosa de los Monteros v.He shared with journalists his vision of Atenea’s goal: “I arrive in Toledo with a lot of emotion, with a lot of desire and with a lot of enthusiasm to present Atenea,” he began. The former Vox spokesperson in Congress explained that his goal is to create a platform that helps put Spain “on the right track” by generating ideas and proposals that transcend daily politics. According to him, current political parties are prisoners of the emergencies of the present, which makes any long-term thinking difficult. Atenea aims to do just that: to provide a space for long-term reflection, addressing fundamental issues such as the rule of law, economics, international politics and the development of Spain’s industrial, agricultural and service sectors.
Espinosa also spoke about Atenea’s first report, which addresses the urgent need to restore the rule of law in Spain, an issue he considers essential in the face of the democratic deterioration he says the country is experiencing. “Every day we see how the separation of powers and the control of justice are deteriorating,” he warned. In this sense, the report seeks to propose practical and long-term solutions that can be adopted by the main opposition parties, notably Vox and the PP.
With Atenea, Espinosa de los Monteros and Cañizares seek to consolidate a model of citizen participation that goes beyond conventional politics, appealing to civil society to generate proposals that respond to long-term challenges. The platform is designed to be a inclusive space for debate and idea generationwhere experts from different fields are invited to contribute their knowledge and perspective. The goal is to build a future for Spain that does not remain locked into the problems of the present, but instead focuses on long-term solutions that guarantee the well-being and progress of society.
With its presentation in Toledo, Atenea takes a first step towards establishing itself as a key center of thought in Spanish political and social life. In the coming months, the platform will continue to publish reports on different aspects of the national reality, in order to generate proposals that will help guide Spain’s journey towards a more prosperous and fairer future.
Espinosa and Cañizares
Iván Espinosa de los Monteros is the former secretary general of Vox and former spokesperson for the party’s parliamentary group in Congress during the 2019-2023 legislature. After leaving Vox in 2023 for “personal reasons”, he founded Atenea with the aim of offering a space for reflection and analysis on the future of Spain, from a liberal-conservative vision.
Inés Cañizares is vice mayor of Toledo and secretary-treasurer of Atenea. A member of Vox since its creation, Cañizares has been one of the main voices of the party in the city and occupies a key position in this new project of thought and reflection for the future of Spain.
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