A new political party which promises to “challenge the status quo” by moving beyond the “tired” current political system was launched today.

Together Gibraltar aims to offer an alternative to what party leader Marlene Hassan Nahon has described as the “tribal two party system largely controlled by lawyers and law firms.”

At a press conference this afternoon at the party’s HQ in Main Street, Ms Hassan Nahon argued that it was time to bring politics back to the people.

She said: “We believe that we have been successful in our mission to bring politics back to our people. We believe that we have thrived in exciting our citizens with the reality that they too can be in the decision-making processes that shape our society.”

Together Gibraltar started as a grassroots political movement whose members recently voted to evolve into a fully-fledged political party. Their first AGM will take place in February next year.

Ms Hassan Nahon said that, before the party was formed, it had already contributed to political debate on the Rock by raising issues like “women’s reproductive rights, the environmental dangers in our surroundings, and confronting government’s lack of transparency, from the £300million loan that we are in the dark about, to the dubious practices within the Calpe House Charity.”

The party also presented its 11 executive members - they were described by Ms Hassan Nahon as “a group of leaders who have found their civil and political home with us.”

The party bases its approach on several core values: participation and democracy, pragmatism, inclusivity and progressivism and transparency and accountability.

Ms Hassan Nahon also explained that Together Gibraltar was against all prejudice: “Our party is against socio-cultural intolerance, free from racial, cultural, gender-based or class-based prejudice and bias. We will continue to fight for equality like we have as civic platform, standing firm against views from a bygone that have been holding members of our community back. Together Gibraltar will finally provide a truly progressive political option that will enfranchise our youth and show that Gibraltar’s civil rights are on an upward curve.”

She added that the party would strive for legislation that guarantees the fairness and transparency of the political system and would also prioritise environmental concerns.

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