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Key Information

The Madrid Forum (Spanish: Foro Madrid) is a conservative organization created on 26 October 2020 by the Disenso Foundation, think tank of the far-right Spanish political party Vox.

Background

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According to The Rio Times, the aim of the Madrid Forum, an anti-communist international organization with a "permanent structure and an annual action plan", is to be "an alternative" to the "two Latin American leftist platforms, the São Paulo Forum and the Puebla Group.[1] The Sao Paulo Forum "comprises political and social forces, from the Brazilian Workers' Party to the Communist Party of Cuba"; the Puebla Group consists of "a handful of leftist politicians" including Alberto Fernández, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Evo Morales, Rafael Correa, Pepe Mujica, and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.[1]

The Madrid Charter is the manifesto of the Madrid Forum; it gathered more than 8,000 signers from throughout the world, with prominent signers Brazilian Eduardo Bolsonaro, Peruvian Keiko Fujimori and Chilean Jose Antonio Kast.[1][2][3] The Charter alerts that countries “hijacked by communist-inspired totalitarian regimes, supported by drug trafficking, under the umbrella of the Cuban regime" have advanced communism.[1]

Vox introduced the project to the government of then United States president Donald Trump while visiting the United States in February 2019, with Santiago Abascal using his good relations with the administration to build support within the Republican Party and establish ties in America.[4][3] In March 2019, Abascal tweeted an image of himself wearing a morion similar to a conquistador. Spanish newspaper ABC wrote that this event provided a narrative that "symbolizes in part the expansionist mood of Vox and its ideology far from Spain".[5] On 3 March 2020, Abascal met with Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, to discuss the creation of the Madrid Forum.[6]

The Madrid Forum was to hold its first event in Madrid in June 2020; it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Madrid Charter presented as an online document on 26 October 2020.[4][3]

Madrid Charter

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The Madrid Charter: In Defense of Freedom and Democracy in the Iberosphere (Spanish: Carta de Madrid: en defensa de la libertad y la democracia en la Iberosfera), also known as the Letter from Madrid, was a manifesto created on 26 October 2020 by the Disenso Foundation think tank of Vox. The document denounced left-wing organizations in Ibero-America, said these groups pose a threat to liberal democracy through communism.[7]

With over 8,000 signatories,[1] including over 400 parliamentarians as of 2023,[8] the charter was also signed by conservative and some ultraconservative, and far-right politicians from the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula.[2][4][9] Chilean politician José Antonio Kast, one of the document's signatories, proposed in October 2021 that the signatories of the Madrid Charter establish an International Anti-Radical Left Coordination, stating that "what is happening in Colombia is no coincidence. The model of the antisocial outbreak is repeated in Chile."[10]

Content

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In the document, signatories define two entities; the first is an allied Iberosphere of nations holding the same roots to the Iberian Peninsula and the second are left-wing groups, such as the São Paulo Forum and the Puebla Group,[3] which the charter describes as an enemy and threat to freedom.[11][12][13] The letter condemns leftist groups as being under the influence of Cuba, stating that they are "under the umbrella of the Cuban regime", describes part of the region as being "kidnapped by totalitarian communist-inspired regimes, supported by drug trafficking", and says that leftist groups hold an "ideological agenda" to destabilize liberal governments.[3][14][15] The letter cites respect for the rule of law, separation of powers, and private property.[5][15] It called for scholars, the media, and other groups to uphold the objectives of the Madrid Charter.[15]

Promotion

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Delegates of Vox travelled throughout Latin America to promote and obtain signatures for the manifesto, meeting with politicians in Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru.[9][16][17] While promoting the charter in Ecuador, Vox delegate Hermann Tertsch said that signatures were necessary to counter "narcosocialism", arguing that "[a]ll Latin American countries are threatened by the same totalitarian project funded mainly by Venezuelan oil and drug trafficking", which Tertsch said was guided by Cuba.[16] At the meetings in Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso's recently-nominated Minister of National Defense Fernando Donoso signed the document along with members of the Social Christian Party and SUMA Party.[16]

In Mexico, the visit and signature collection event by Vox caused controversy when National Action Party (PAN) legislators signed the charter.[18][19] PAN politicians received criticism on social media that resulted with conflicts within the party.[18] Shortly after participating with Vox, PAN politicians distanced themselves from signing the manifesto,[19] while the party's official Twitter deleted an image of PAN members meeting with Vox representatives.[20] Due to Vox's controversial visit, discussions occurred of Mexico possibly enforcing Article 33 of the Constitution of Mexico, which grants the expulsion of foreign individuals for interfering in Mexican political affairs. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico, declined this option by stating that "Mexico is a free country. I also say this so that if the gentleman of Vox, Abascal, wants to come again, he can do it. The doors of our country are open, they are always welcome. All foreigners, even if they are opponents."[21]

Peruvian investigative journalism website OjoPúblico wrote in an article discussing far-right alliances in the Americas that members of Vox travelled to Peru to obtain signatures, with the parties Go on Country of Hernando de Soto, Popular Force of Keiko Fujimori, and Popular Renewal of Rafael López Aliaga signing the document.[13][22][23] Peruvian business executives, including the owner of Willax Televisión, also participated in discussions and signed the charter.[24] Additionally, Vox created an e-participation initiative in Peru to gather signatures from Peruvian citizens.[25]

Signatories

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Origin Signatories Source
Argentina
[15]
Bolivia [15]
Brazil [12][15]
Chile [12][15]
Colombia
[26]
Costa Rica [15]
Cuba
[15]
Ecuador
[11][15][16]
El Salvador [15]
France [15]
Greece [15]
Honduras [15]
Italy [15]
Mexico
[15]
Netherlands [15]
Paraguay [15]
Peru
[9][12][15]
Portugal [15]
Spain [15]
Sweden [15]
United States
[15][27][28]
Uruguay [15]
Venezuela
[15]

Meetings

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1st Regional Meeting

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The 1st Regional Meeting of Foro Madrid was held in Bogotá in February 2022.[29][30] At the meeting, a group of fifty far-left protesters gathered to denounce the Madrid Forum, some chanting "Bogotá will be the tomb of fascism", with some individuals damaging the exterior of the hotel where the event occurred.[30] Police dispersed the protesters and the forum accused leftist presidential candidate Gustavo Petro of organizing the protests.[30][31] During the event, the forum emphasized the importance of the upcoming 2022 Colombian presidential election and the 2022 Brazilian general election, saying a threat of "narco-communist threat" loomed over Latin America.[31]

2nd Regional Meeting

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During the 2nd Regional Meeting of Foro Madrid was held in Lima in March 2023 and was virtually attended by Abascal, who described the Sao Paulo Forum and the Puebla Group as "criminal organizations".[32][33] The forum also called for the ousting of Petro, who became president of Colombia, stating that the 2022 Colombian presidential election was fraudulent, and alleged that he was aligned with drug traffickers and that Russia interfered with social networks to support him.[34] Conservative Peruvian newspaper El Comercio described the meeting as an event "with some radicalisms for the grandstand and no narrative that promises change from the right",[35] while Wayka described it as a "meeting of the fascist extreme right", and cited Elisabeth Dulanto Baquerizo de Miró Quesada of the family that owns El Comercio Group as one of the attenders; her company helped to host the meeting.[29]

3rd meeting

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The third meeting was held in September 2024 in Buenos Aires, featuring 40 speakers representing 15 countries with a theme to condemn Nicolás Maduro and "support the Venezuelan people and condemn the lukewarm response of the international community, as well as to recover the spaces of freedom taken away by the criminal left and the non-left in the Western world".[36]

Analysis

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France 24 describes the Forum as "an alliance of right and far-right Spanish and Latin American lawmakers".[37] The Spanish newspaper El País wrote: "Fundamentalists (Catholics and Evangelicals), neocons and ultra-liberals, right-wing populists and those nostalgic for military dictatorships make up the anti-communist alliance that the Spanish party Vox is weaving in Latin America."[3] Página 12, a Kirchnerist newspaper edited in Buenos Aires, described the initiative as a "cultural war" declared by Vox and "a conservative offensive on what democratic advances that had or have begun in Latin America at the beginning of this century".[13] Political scientist Kathy Zegarra of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru discussed Keiko Fujimori's participation with Vox's initiative. She said: "It's beneficial for the far-right public. However, it generates liabilities especially for those citizens who have more tolerant ideas; ... it is negative for those citizens who have more progressive values, who have values in favor of human rights."[17] Khemvirg Puente, a political scientist of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that the participation of PAN politicians in the charter was a way for Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador to confirm his rhetoric against the party and that this act moved the party to the far right, making it unattractive to voters.[18] In Peru, prominent heads of businesses, especially in the mining industry, supported the Madrid Forum.[29]

See also

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References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Madrid Forum

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The Madrid Forum (Spanish: Foro Madrid) is an international alliance of political parties, leaders, and organizations from , , and , founded on 26 October 2020 by the Disenso Foundation—the affiliated with 's conservative Vox party—to defend , , the , and traditional Western values against the advance of radical leftism, , and in the world.
The Forum positions itself as a counterpart to leftist networks like the , fostering coordination among conservative forces through its foundational Madrid Charter (Carta de Madrid), a signed by over 8,000 individuals worldwide, including heads of state and intellectuals, outlining commitments to free markets, national , family structures, and resistance to ideological indoctrination.
It organizes annual summits and regional encounters—such as those held in Madrid, , and —drawing participants from dozens of countries to strategize on electoral victories, policy advocacy, and cultural preservation, with notable attendees including Argentine President and Vox leader , emphasizing empirical successes in reversing socialist policies through principled governance.

Founding and Background

Establishment by Disenso Foundation

The Forum was established on October 26, 2020, through the issuance of the Carta de Madrid, a declaration drafted and promoted by the Fundación Disenso, the think tank closely affiliated with Spain's Vox party. Fundación Disenso, founded earlier that year in September 2020, positioned the forum as an institutional vehicle for coordinating conservative and anti-communist efforts across and , leveraging Vox's growing influence in Spanish politics. Vox leader played a central role in unveiling the initiative, framing it as a response to ideological threats including resurgent and globalist policies amid the ongoing . The forum's launch occurred against a backdrop of critiques toward government-imposed lockdowns and economic restrictions in and beyond, which Vox and Disenso viewed as overreaches enabling leftist agendas. This timing aligned with Vox's electoral gains and the party's emphasis on defending national sovereignty against supranational influences, including elements associated with cultural shifts critiqued as Marxist-inspired. Early involvement from figures like Argentine economist , then in opposition, underscored the forum's intent to foster transatlantic alliances among populist and libertarian voices opposing . Disenso's role emphasized behind-the-scenes intellectual and networking functions, distinct from Vox's electoral activities, to build a platform for signatories committing to anti-communist principles without direct partisan branding. The establishment thus marked Vox's strategic expansion into international conservative coordination, capitalizing on regional populist momentum in Iberosphere nations.

Core Objectives and Ideological Foundations

The Madrid Forum was established with the primary objective of forging an international alliance among conservative leaders and organizations to counter the resurgence of communist ideologies in their modern forms, including , through , and the erosion of national autonomy by supranational entities such as the and . Organizers, led by the Disenso Foundation, positioned the forum as a direct response to left-leaning networks like the , aiming to coordinate strategies against policies that prioritize collectivism over individual agency. Central to its ideological foundations is the defense of foundational Western principles, including Judeo-Christian ethics, family structures, free-market economics, and personal liberties, which the forum views as under threat from statist interventions and ideological conformity. This stance draws on critiques of collectivist systems' historical track record, citing regimes in , , and the —where centralized economic controls correlated with GDP contractions exceeding 70% in Venezuela between 2013 and 2021, mass emigrations, and suppression of dissent—as evidence of inherent causal links between such policies and societal decline. Unlike purely nationalist movements, the forum's approach emphasizes as a bulwark for prosperity and , grounded in observable outcomes from policy experiments rather than ethnic or cultural exclusivity; for instance, it highlights how market-oriented reforms in post-socialist yielded average annual GDP growth of 4-6% from 1990 to 2008, contrasting with stagnation under persistent state dominance elsewhere. This framework prioritizes data-driven analysis of governance failures, attributing and poverty not to abstract forces but to direct incentives created by economic centralization and ideological suppression of debate.

The Madrid Charter

Core Content and Principles

The Madrid Charter, issued on October 26, 2020, by the Disenso Foundation, constitutes the ideological core of the Madrid Forum as an anti-communist manifesto binding participants to shared tenets. Its preamble details communism's 20th-century record of atrocities, including the deaths of over 100 million individuals through mass executions, forced famines, and gulags, alongside the systematic denial of basic freedoms in regimes from the to Maoist and beyond. This historical accounting frames the document's assertion that communist ideologies, now often rebranded as or , persist as a direct threat to liberal democracies, particularly in the Iberosphere—a cultural sphere encompassing and with approximately 700 million inhabitants. At its heart, the charter rejects all forms of and its derivatives, condemning their promotion by transnational networks such as the and Puebla Group, which allegedly collaborate with totalitarian states, drug cartels, and radical elements to subvert sovereign nations. Signatories commit to defending foundational elements of Western , including as the bedrock of economic prosperity and , the natural family unit against state-imposed redefinitions, and from erosion by globalist agendas. Specific principles articulated include staunch opposition to censorship under guises of , the imposition of gender ideology that contravenes biological realities and parental rights, and open-border policies that facilitate uncontrolled migration and weaken national identities. In affirmative terms, the document upholds as the driver of individual achievement and innovation, national as essential to sovereignty, and strict adherence to the with to prevent authoritarian drift. Following these assertions, the charter delineates practical commitments: adherents vow to safeguard human dignity, pluralism, freedom of expression, and democratic institutions while actively countering socialist narratives that romanticize collectivism and obscure of communism's economic collapses and human costs. This structure—preamble, rejections, defenses, and pledges—renders the charter a concise yet operative framework for cross-ideological collaboration among conservatives and liberals united against ideological collectivism.

Promotion Strategies

The Madrid Charter was initially disseminated on October 26, 2020, leveraging the organizational infrastructure of Spain's Vox party and its Disenso Foundation , which coordinated the launch as part of broader efforts to unite conservative forces across the Iberosphere. Vox's established networks facilitated initial outreach, including direct engagement with allied political groups in , where the party had cultivated ties through resource investments and joint initiatives aimed at expanding influence in countries like , , , and . These partnerships emphasized shared anti-communist stances, enabling cross-border promotion via affiliated outlets and events that highlighted the charter's principles against perceived leftist authoritarianism. Digital campaigns played a central role, with Vox's proficiency in —demonstrated in prior electoral successes—amplifying the charter's visibility through targeted posts, hashtags, and calls for signatures on platforms like (now X). The document was made available in multiple languages, including English, to broaden accessibility beyond Spanish-speaking regions, supporting virtual signing mechanisms that allowed global participation without physical attendance. This approach contributed to Vox's reported tally of over 8,000 signatories from more than 20 countries, encompassing both individuals and institutional representatives, though the figure originates from party announcements and lacks independent verification. To build momentum against skeptical mainstream coverage, promoters secured endorsements from high-profile figures such as political leaders and intellectuals, framing the as a unifying anti-totalitarian rather than a fringe effort. Examples include ongoing virtual endorsements, like the December 17, 2024, signing by Dominican politician , which aligned his party with the forum's network. This dual emphasis on elite buy-in and widespread online solicitation countered dismissal by emphasizing empirical support from diverse signers, while the itself urged academics and to propagate its ideas independently of dominant narratives.

Signatories and Global Reach

The Madrid Charter has attracted over 8,000 signatories worldwide, forming a coalition of politicians, intellectuals, and activists aligned with conservative principles. Prominent among them is Brazilian Federal Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, who endorsed the document in October 2020 as a federal representative from São Paulo state. Other notable Latin American signatories include Chilean politician José Antonio Kast, who leveraged similar ideological networks in his 2021 presidential bid, and Peruvian opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, a perennial candidate against leftist governance. Geographic participation emphasizes , with substantial involvement from countries like , , , and —where pre-Milei conservatives from parties such as contributed to the signatory base—bolstered by Spain's foundational role through the Disenso Foundation. European nationalists from and other nations joined, extending the network beyond the , while U.S. conservative thinkers and allies provided transatlantic linkage. This distribution underscores cultural and historical ties, particularly the shared Spanish-language heritage facilitating coordination across the and Europe. Signatories have demonstrated empirical influence through electoral engagements, such as Kast's competitive run in Chile's 2021 , which narrowed margins against the leftist , and Fujimori's repeated challenges to Peru's socialist-leaning administrations in 2016 and 2021. In , Bolsonaro's advocacy helped mobilize opposition to leftist policies ahead of the 2022 contest, contributing to sustained conservative organizing despite outcomes favoring incumbents. These roles highlight the charter's role in bolstering anti-leftist coalitions, with signatories assuming positions in national legislatures and campaigns that pressured regimes in power.

Organizational Activities

Early Regional Meetings

The Madrid Forum convened its first regional meeting in , , on February 18 and 19, 2022, under the theme "Por la Democracia y las Libertades." The event centered on operationalizing the Madrid Charter's anti-communist principles amid rising leftist electoral gains in Latin America, including Brazil's impending shift under and ongoing pressures from the . Discussions highlighted defenses of national sovereignty, free markets, and institutional integrity against continental socialist expansion, with panels critiquing policy outcomes like Venezuela's exceeding 1,000,000% annually under and Cuba's chronic shortages documented by international reports on GDP per capita stagnation below $10,000. Key participants included former Colombian President Vélez, Peruvian ex-Vice President Francisco Tudela, Venezuelan opposition coordinator , and former Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, fostering initial networking among over 200 attendees from Ibero-American conservative circles. The gathering faced external opposition, with approximately 50 leftist protesters disrupting proceedings, underscoring regional ideological tensions. It produced the Bogotá Declaration, a resolution recommitting signatories to dismantle castro-chavista networks through electoral coordination and public awareness campaigns, explicitly drawing from the Charter's rejection of globalist ideologies that prioritize collectivism over individual rights. The second regional meeting occurred in , , on March 29 and 30, 2023, themed "Democracia, Libertad y Estado de Derecho," building on by incorporating European perspectives while maintaining a Latin American core. With over 800 participants, including Spanish Vox representatives and MEP Hermann , sessions addressed EU-aligned overreach in cultural policies and migration pressures exacerbating Ibero-American instability, such as unchecked flows contributing to crime spikes in host nations with homicide rates surpassing 20 per 100,000 in parts of . Emphasis was placed on countering the Puebla Group's influence, with critiques of governance failures like Peru's political instability post-2021 leftist ascendance and Bolivia's Evo Morales-era expropriations leading to agricultural output declines of up to 30%. Notable speakers encompassed Peruvian mayoral candidate Rafael López Aliaga, Colombian Senator María Fernanda Cabal, and calls for liberating political prisoners in Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Bolivia—regimes where dissident incarceration rates exceed 1,000 documented cases per Human Rights Watch data. Outcomes included the Lima Declaration, pledging cross-regional alliances to reinforce anti-globalist resolutions, enhance conservative media coordination, and leverage empirical evidence of socialist policy shortfalls, such as Venezuela's oil production drop from 3 million to under 800,000 barrels daily since 2013. These early events established foundational networks, prioritizing causal links between ideological expansions and measurable economic and security deteriorations over narrative-driven interpretations from biased institutional sources.

Subsequent International Gatherings

The third regional meeting of the Madrid Forum, held in , , on September 5–6, 2024, marked a significant expansion in scale and international participation, attracting over 2,000 attendees to the Palacio Libertad. Inaugurated by Argentine President and featuring speeches from Spanish Vox leader , the event emphasized themes of economic liberty, the defense of democracy against socialist influences, and critiques of transnational progressive agendas akin to those associated with the . Participants included representatives from conservative parties across and , highlighting the forum's maturation from initial regional focus to a platform fostering intercontinental alliances against perceived authoritarian leftism. Building on this momentum, the fourth regional meeting convened in , , on June 12–13, 2025, at the Gran Teatro del Banco Central del Paraguay, drawing more than 2,500 participants and underscoring continued growth in attendance and logistical scope. Opened by Paraguayan President alongside Abascal, the gathering reinforced commitments to bolstering conservative governance models, countering socialism's regional advances, and promoting free-market principles over collectivist policies. Discussions addressed the rejection of globalist interventions, with attendees from the and advocating for national sovereignty and institutional reforms to combat and ideological from the left. This event exemplified the forum's shift toward broader hemispheric engagement, though coverage in outlets like —known for left-leaning editorial stances—framed it through lenses of ideological polarization rather than substantive policy debates. These gatherings represented an evolution from earlier, smaller-scale regional events to more ambitious international forums, with increased emphasis on cross-border coordination among liberty-oriented movements, though participation remained predominantly Ibero-American without notable integration as of 2025. Attendance surges reflected rising interest amid electoral shifts in countries like and , where forum-aligned leaders assumed power, enabling platforms for critiquing supranational entities and socialism's economic track record.

Key Resolutions and Outputs

The Madrid Forum's gatherings have yielded declarations and statements advocating targeted measures against socialist , including demands for accountability in regimes associated with . In May 2025, the Forum issued a communiqué exigiendo the immediate release of all political prisoners in , explicitly naming twelve Spanish detainees among them, as part of broader calls to dismantle authoritarian structures sustained by leftist alliances. Regional meetings have produced outcome documents reinforcing anti-communist coordination, such as the Declaration of adopted at the September 2024 Buenos Aires encounter, which outlined strategies to counter organizations like the and Puebla Group through unified defense of national and democratic institutions. These outputs prioritize practical steps, including rejection of European equivocation on Venezuelan crises and promotion of referenda mechanisms to reclaim from supranational socialist influences. Publications from the organizing Fundación Disenso, including annual reports and policy analyses, serve as activist resources detailing tactics for cultural resistance to , such as exposing ideological networks and building transnational conservative coalitions comparable to U.S. models like CPAC. Follow-on impacts include at least five regional events since 2021, with policy echoes in signatory nations' sovereignty initiatives, though direct adoptions remain tied to local conservative gains rather than Forum mandates.

Reception and Impact

Endorsements and Achievements

The Madrid Forum has garnered endorsements from key conservative figures, notably Argentine economist and later President , who signed the foundational Madrid Charter on October 26, 2020, affirming its commitment to defending freedom, democracy, and Western values against communist expansion in the Ibero-American sphere. Milei's alignment persisted post-election, as evidenced by his address at a 2024 Madrid Forum gathering in , where he emphasized cultural and political battles consistent with the forum's anti-socialist stance. Achievements include the forum's role in amplifying anti-communist discourse amid regional electoral shifts, such as Milei's 2023 presidential victory in , where his coalition obtained 55.69% of the national vote on , defeating the Peronist candidate and marking a rejection of decades of leftist governance. This outcome correlated with the forum's network-building efforts, which integrated signatories like Milei and Vice President into transnational conservative alliances, enhancing visibility for critiques of forums like the São Paulo Group. The forum's expansion is demonstrated by its organization of successive international meetings, including sessions in and , fostering collaborations among leaders from Spain's Vox party and Latin American conservatives, thereby countering suppression of dissenting views in and academia. These gatherings have elevated the Madrid Charter's principles, signed by intellectuals, politicians, and activists across continents, into a platform for policy advocacy on issues like and economic liberty.

Criticisms from Opponents

Opponents, particularly from left-leaning publications, have frequently characterized the Madrid Forum as a platform for far-right extremism, associating it closely with the Spanish party Vox's nationalist agenda. Outlets such as Jacobin describe it as part of a "broader far-right infrastructure" involving extremist associations, while the World Socialist Web Site labels Vox, the forum's initiator, as "fascistic." These characterizations often extend to the forum's promotion of the Madrid Charter, signed on October 26, 2020, as a manifesto uniting conservative forces against perceived socialist influences, which critics frame as reactionary without detailing specific undemocratic actions. Critiques of the forum's stances on , aligned with Vox's opposition to unregulated migration, portray them as xenophobic, emphasizing fears of cultural erosion over empirical correlations between high immigration levels and strains on welfare systems or in host countries. , for instance, has highlighted Vox's election rhetoric on migrant children as a "menace," attributing it to resurgent xenophobic narratives post-economic crisis, though such coverage from media with documented left-leaning biases rarely engages data showing disproportionate welfare costs or security incidents tied to specific migration patterns. Similarly, has described Vox's as including "xenophobic" elements, linking it to broader European far-right trends without substantiating claims of inherent beyond policy opposition to open borders. Some adversaries express alarm that the forum undermines by fostering a "nationalist international" that prioritizes over supranational institutions, potentially eroding pluralistic norms. Publications like Mexico's Project decry signatories' alignment with the as "authoritarian," tying it to retrograde opposition politics, while Tricontinental analyses suggest the forum projects authoritarian tendencies onto leftist governments. These apprehensions persist despite the forum's emphasis on electoral strategies and defense of democratic freedoms, with accusations often unsubstantiated by evidence of anti-electoral advocacy and reflecting broader institutional biases in academia and media toward viewing as inherently illiberal.

Influence on Global Conservative Movements

The Madrid Forum has strengthened ideological and strategic alliances between European and Latin American conservatives, serving as a hub for coordinating opposition to socialist and globalist policies. Established in 2020 under the Disenso Foundation affiliated with Spain's Vox party, the Forum's charter—signed by over 50 leaders including figures from Chile's Republican Party and Venezuela's opposition—outlined a unified stance against , emphasizing national sovereignty and free markets. This framework has facilitated cross-continental networking, with regional offshoots in in February 2022 and in March 2023 drawing hundreds of participants to discuss countering left-wing dominance in governance and institutions. These efforts have contributed to electoral momentum in Latin America, where Forum-aligned networks supported conservative candidacies amid a regional shift away from progressive administrations. In Paraguay, the 2023 hosting of a Forum event positioned the country as a conservative stronghold, aiding the continuity of center-right governance under the Colorado Party, which secured a parliamentary majority in the 2023 elections with 44% of the vote. Similarly, in Chile, signatory José Antonio Kast's Republican Party gained 20 seats in the 2021 constitutional assembly elections, leveraging Forum rhetoric on family values and anti-Marxism to challenge establishment narratives. While direct causation is debated, the Forum's emphasis on deregulation and sovereignty has paralleled policy reforms, such as Argentina's 2024 executive orders slashing 50% of regulations under President Javier Milei, who has publicly aligned with Vox through joint events promoting libertarian economics. On a broader scale, the Forum has inspired analogous initiatives, including the 2024 Madrid Commitment endorsed by 300 leaders from 45 countries, focusing on pro-family and anti-abortion advocacy to counter perceived institutional biases favoring progressive ideologies. This has fostered a realist counter-narrative in policy debates, prioritizing empirical outcomes like over ideological conformity, as evidenced by increased conservative coordination at events like the 2025 Patriots for summit in , where leaders hailed transatlantic solidarity against "wokism." Such platforms have elevated conservative voices globally, correlating with gains like the European Conservatives and Reformists group's expansion to 78 MEPs in the 2024 EU elections.

Controversies and Debates

Accusations of Extremism

Critics from left-leaning outlets have accused the Madrid Forum of fostering extremism through its anti-communist stance and associations with conservative figures across the Iberosphere. Jacobin magazine, in a May 2024 analysis, portrayed the forum as integral to a "broader far-right infrastructure of extremist Catholic associations, Latin American exiles," linking it to parties like Spain's Vox and international counterparts. Similarly, the World Socialist Web Site described the forum's 2021 launch as a collaboration between Spain's "fascistic Vox party" and Latin American right-wing groups, framing it as an authoritarian push against perceived leftist dominance. Such claims often highlight signatories including the Bolsonaro family, with among those endorsing the Madrid Charter in 2020. Media reports have tied these affiliations to broader narratives of threat to , citing post-2022 election unrest in —such as the January 2023 attacks, which authorities attributed to Bolsonaro supporters' political extremism involving over 1,500 arrests for vandalism and invasion of government buildings. Leftist analysts, including in , have extended this to decry the forum's events as platforms for "ultraderecha" (far-right) coordination, associating participants like and with populist excesses echoing historical right-wing . These accusations typically invoke tropes of " gone wild," as seen in academic discussions positioning the forum within transnational far-right networks that purportedly undermine democratic norms. However, forum outputs like the Madrid Charter, signed by over 100 figures from 20 countries as of 2020, advocate for legal protections of , , and without calls for violence or extralegal action, focusing instead on electoral and judicial reforms against . No verified instances exist of forum-affiliated violence advocacy, contrasting with the rhetorical emphasis in critiques from sources like Buenos Aires Herald, which labeled its 2024 Buenos Aires gathering a "far-right event."

Responses and Defenses

Leaders of the Madrid Forum, including of Spain's Vox party, have rebutted claims of extremism by framing the organization as a bulwark against totalitarian ideologies, particularly , which they argue poses a substantiated based on historical . The forum's founding Madrid Charter, signed on October 26, 2020, explicitly commits signatories to defending , , and through non-violent means, such as electoral processes and , in opposition to regimes that suppress dissent. Forum participants contrast their advocacy with the documented atrocities of 20th-century communist governments, where historians estimate over 100 million deaths resulted from state-induced famines, purges, forced labor, and executions across regimes in the , China, and elsewhere. This empirical record, drawn from archival data and survivor accounts compiled in works like , underscores the forum's emphasis on preventing a resurgence of such systems via ideological vigilance rather than coercive tactics. In public addresses and resolutions, forum spokespeople highlight harms from leftist policies as evidence of policy failures warranting critique, citing Venezuela's economic implosion under chavista : GDP contracted by approximately 75% from 2013 to 2021, peaked at over 1 million percent in 2018, and more than 7 million citizens emigrated amid shortages and . These outcomes, attributed by analysts to nationalizations, , and authoritarian consolidation, are invoked to argue for sovereignty-preserving reforms over unchecked internationalist interventions that dilute national decision-making. Abascal and allied figures maintain that authentic extremism manifests in globalist structures eroding borders and self-determination, as seen in supranational mandates overriding domestic priorities, positioning the forum's work as a restorative defense of constitutional orders rather than a fringe deviation.

Comparative Analysis with Similar Initiatives

The Madrid Forum distinguishes itself from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the flagship event of American conservatism established in 1974, by prioritizing the "Iberosphere"—a network encompassing Spain, Portugal, and Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin American nations—over the predominantly U.S.-centric focus of CPAC. While CPAC gatherings, such as its annual U.S. event attracting over 10,000 attendees and international offshoots like CPAC Hungary since 2019, emphasize domestic issues like fiscal conservatism, Second Amendment rights, and opposition to progressive cultural shifts, the Madrid Forum targets transnational threats from socialist and communist ideologies, drawing on shared historical experiences of leftist governance in Latin America, including Venezuela's economic collapse under chavismo and Cuba's enduring regime. This regional orientation fosters deeper integration with Latin conservative movements, evidenced by the Forum's hosting of meetings in Paraguay (June 2025) and collaborations with parties like Brazil's PL and Argentina's La Libertad Avanza, contrasting CPAC's broader but less linguistically cohesive global outreach. In comparison to European conservative initiatives like the (MCC) in , which organizes events such as CPAC Hungary to promote illiberal democracy and cultural preservation in , the Madrid Forum exhibits a sharper anti-communist edge rooted in causal analyses of ideological failures, such as state expropriations and suppression of free markets leading to measurable declines—like Venezuela's GDP contraction of over 75% since 2013 under socialist policies. The Forum's Madrid Charter, signed by over 50 figures from 15 countries within months of its October 26, 2020, launch, including leaders from Chile's Republican Party and Peru's , provides a concrete rejecting "communist-inspired tyrannies" and advocating and , unlike the MCC's more diffuse platforms centered on national against EU supranationalism. This direct, prescriptive approach has enabled rapid adoption, with signatories influencing electoral gains, such as in Chile's 2021 constitutional debates, where Forum-aligned voices opposed expansive state roles. The Forum's success relative to slower-building European equivalents stems from its exploitation of Iberian cultural and linguistic affinities, facilitating quicker transnational coordination than or pan-European models, which often face fragmentation due to diverse national priorities. For instance, while CPAC's international expansions have grown incrementally—CPAC debuted in 2016 but remains episodic—the Madrid Forum achieved endorsements from 10 Latin American parties by 2021, leveraging the Charter's explicit causal framing of communism's empirical harms, including and migration crises, to rally against vague, consensus-driven conservative declarations. Critics from left-leaning outlets attribute this momentum to populist tactics, but empirical signatory growth and meeting attendance—rising to hemispheric scale by 2025—underscore its operational efficacy in regions where leftist dominance has persisted longer than in post-Cold War .

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