Podemos is getting closer to Rufián amidst the reconfiguration of Sumar
After two defeats in the regional elections, Irene Montero's party is open to new scenarios of understanding.
MadridIt has been a turbulent week for the left of the PSOE. It started with the hangover with a resounding kick in the elections in Castile and León and it has ended with the Sumar ministers challenging Pedro Sánchez to include measures in housing in the social shield against war. In the midst of it all, the emergence of the Irene Montero - Gabriel Rufián tandem has shaken things up. The event they will share in Barcelona In twenty days, he has brought Podemos back into the equation, pulling it out of the isolation it had been mired in for some time. Those close to the ERC spokesperson in Congress describe it as "just one event and nothing more," but Podemos members hint that it could crystallize into a future electoral alliance. "I can't think of a better team; they have a path I hope they can follow," declared Podemos' general secretary, Ione Belarra. And Irene Montero herself publicly acknowledged that an electoral partnership with Rufián is a "very good idea" and, contrary to what those close to the Republican maintain, confessed that events like this are held "not only for the general elections, but also for the general elections."
Just this Monday, Podemos spokesperson Pablo Fernández admitted that the party will undertake a "deep reflection" after obtaining only 0.7% of the vote in Castile and León. However, the party has not provided further details or explained any progress in this direction. Against this backdrop, Gabriel Rufián has long advocated for a broad agreement among the left across the country. A month ago, at an event with Emilio Delgado, He advocated for studying "province by province" What is the best way to achieve representation? Is it viable for him to lead the new coalition? In Madrid, the feeling is that the main obstacle is that this would imply he would have to leave Esquerra – given that Oriol Junqueras does not share his roadmap, even though the president of ERC He is not "afraid" If Rufián were to leave the party, he would have to compete directly with the Republicans, at least in Barcelona. This scenario is considered unlikely. However, his name is generating enthusiasm among the left's grassroots supporters, and despite the doubts and difficulties, no one dares to rule him out as a possible candidate. In fact, according to the CIS (Spanish Center for Sociological Research), one in five voters for Sumar on June 23rd wanted Rufián to be Prime Minister of Spain—four points ahead of Yolanda Díaz.
The next elections will be in Andalusia, where the left will be more divided than ever with three candidates. All eyes are on Podemos, which—barring any changes—will run independently, splitting from Per Andalucía. Per Andalucía will become a joint candidacy of Izquierda Unida and Movimiento Sumar, reviving the alliance of four years ago. Furthermore, Endavant Andalucía will again run separately, as it has its own path as a "sovereignist left."
No rush for the sequence to be added
Alongside Podemos's rapprochement with Rufián, the Sumar alliance—comprising Comuns, Izquierda Unida (IU), and Más Madrid—continues its own course. This week, IU's federal coordinator, Antonio Maíllo, has asked to speed up the election of Yolanda Díaz's successor as candidate for the general elections. However, this assessment is not shared by the other parties in the alliance and is also generating internal misgivings. The various sources consulted by ARA deny that the proposed timeframe is agreed upon and place the debate and selection of the coalition's figurehead at a later stage. That said, all voices concur that the leadership could come from an external candidate or someone affiliated with one of the four parties. Other sources maintain that the next step should be choosing the platform's name.
"It's the final link," says a prominent figure within Más Madrid. Comuns maintains that no timetable has been set and calls for a balance between the urgency felt in the streets and the necessary internal pause. But even within the ranks of Izquierda Unida, there are dissenting voices who believe it is "inappropriate" to have placed the debate on Yolanda Díaz's successor precisely this week.
