Colau pressures Montero to join the Broad Front

BarcelonaThe path for Ada Colau to be the presidential candidate for the Broad Front is becoming increasingly paved. The day after Més Madrid—a key player in this left-wing coalition—proposed her as a candidate for the upcoming Spanish elections on November 29th, the former mayor confirmed that she is willing to head the list. However, the founder of the PAH continues to put pressure on Irene Montero, the leader of Podemos, to join the Broad Front, to the point that she has set it as a condition to take the decisive step at the head of the coalition formed by Sumar, Més Madrid, Esquerra, and Comuns. "I have been asked, and I have said that if we are all there, I will be there too. But we must all be there," Colau said in an interview with TVE.

The former mayor of the Catalan capital has insisted on the convenience of unity for the space to the left of the PSOE at a national level. "A broad front means adding the diversity of left-wing proposals with a common program. [...] The public is asking for just one ballot," she assured, and she has called for an effort so that the alternative left to the PSOE runs under a single brand. Thus, Colau has lashed out against the "egos" and "crossed vetoes" that have prevented unity in previous elections and has assured that she does not want to lead a project that repeats "previous experiences." "I am deeply honored that I am being thought of as a consensus candidate [...], but we must concentrate our efforts so that the Broad Front is a truly broad front," she insisted. Colau's name has gained momentum in the last few hours as a consensus option due to the good relationship she maintains with Irene Montero—whom Sumar vetoed in past negotiations—and whom Podemos has already placed as the head of the list for the elections.

In the interview, in fact, the former mayor admitted that she does not consider the possibility that the now MEP for the purple party might not be part of the eventual single candidacy of the left for the general elections. "We must sit down, and we cannot get up until there is a consensus," she later insisted in an interview with SER. However, from Podemos they maintain their commitment to holding open primaries throughout the space to configure the candidacy and, in fact, Montero recalled that her party will carry them out on October 14 and 15, and that they have already created a website where anyone can vote. "The best formula for everyone is for the people to decide what our place is," she stated in an interview with TVE. "Podemos will be part of the list that emerges from these open primaries," she added. The MEP, in fact, has assured that she does not feel "comfortable talking about Sumar's affairs." The Broad Front coalition, however, does not agree with holding primaries.

Regarding the decision to step forward after several years away from institutional politics, Colau has argued that she felt called upon by an "exceptional historical context," marked by the growth of the extreme right, the increase in hate speech and, also, the social emergency regarding housing. "This has consequences on people's lives," she said, and added: "I refuse to resign myself and let the extreme right govern." Regarding housing, and after lamenting the death of Maricarmen Abascal, Colau has outlined the lines of what would be her speech if she finally becomes a presidential candidate: in her opinion, the "main culprits" of the current situation are the speculators, but "also the administrations," she said, before pointing to the PSOE and calling on governments to "expand the limits of intervention" in the real estate market.