An international study Recently published by the Robert Bosch Stiftung organization has compared The parliamentary representation of immigrants In Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland to discover that their presence remains very low in European democracies, mainly in Spain, which occupies the last place of this group of countries, with 2% representativeness, While the Netherlands is at the top, with 19%.
In all the countries studied, except in Spain, in the last decade its political participation of the population of migrant origin has risen. Germany, meanwhile, has experienced the greatest growth in the last decade (+7 percentage points), although the representation remains stagnant after the 2025 elections in 11.6%. In addition, most immigrants in politics in Europe are women, also with a Spanish exception: most men are.
What factors make immigrants access political and social leadership positions? What measures can favor its inclusion? These are some of the questions that researchers have been asked in the project.
Directed by Professor Laura Morales, Professor of Political Science in Sciences PO (Paris) and CSIC researcher, the report presented this Thursday has combined the study of quantitative data and interviews to determine the Integration, the impact of racism and discrimination and the self -excusion of the minorities themselves when considering political careers.
Among the main conclusions, Morales emphasizes that “Spain is very down in political representativeness of migrants and the worst thing is that it does not progress. It is even worse than the United Kingdom in the 90s, when after the first wave of migration it was at 7.8%. Spain does not get the migrant population to participate in politics. “
The study has discovered that the few politicians of migrant origin at the local, regional and national level in Spain, 6 407 parliamentariansmost are population born abroad, more than second or third generations. They suppose 2% of the total, when statistics say that the population of migrant origin and their children correspond to 20% of the population, says Morales.
Strikingly, Those who are represented in politics are not migrant majorities in Spain. Thus, in Congress, there are above all Argentines, Cubans and Venezuelans, which are the ones that have grown the most. However, other more numerous – as Moroccans, Romanians, Colombians or Peruvians – are not integrated into the parties.
Through interviews, in European project he has carried out 175, researchers have determined that The vast majority of people of elected migrants do not come from militancyof the base policy, but are “signed” by the parties in a clear interest in the search for diversity. However, it is a “very selective process, it is carried out from time to time, and there is no established guideline to give the social representativeness they have,” says Morales.
There are also no ideologies in this. In Congress both Podemos and Vox have some deputy of migrant origin. “Yes the batteries have been put,” he acknowledges, “in the Popular Party of the Community of Madrid, more systematic, and in more Madrid, there is some strategy in the Socialists in the Mediterranean, but not in the rest,” describes the expert.
Chosen as an image of diversity
They are still very little and symbolic, And they reach politics accidentally. “The vast majority by surprise, they did not expect it, they did nothing to emerge in politics. They do not reach lists from the complete anonymity, but in some cases in a circumstantial way, for their participation in some local administration or associationism.”
Morales considers that The parties should strive to integrate society as it is. “It would be unthinkable not to have women in political formations, or not have youth, but do not care about not having migrants in militancy, of all social class and origin.”
Finally, elected immigrants They complain that their parties use them to give image of diversity And they end up assigning areas related to immigration and not fear of which they could be experts, “they are interested and formed or not.”
Among the recommendations made by the study to raise the political participation of immigrants, facilitate vote to foreigners, Debat in the parties a quota policy, improve political education in school and combat hate speeches.
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