ERC closes the door to Rufián's broad front

BarcelonaHe did not find support from the ERC leadership in the summer, when he launched the proposalAnd he hasn't found it now either. However, Gabriel Rufián remains committed to forming a broad left-wing and pro-independence front to try and stop the far right, with an eye on the next general elections. The clearest proof of this is the event he will hold with the spokesperson for Más Madrid in the Madrid Assembly, Emilio Delgado, on February 18. The event is titled Contest the present to win the future And it is being held independently of the parties to which Rufián and Delgado belong. The ERC leadership, in fact, has once again distanced itself from the broad front proposed by its spokesperson in Congress. "ERC will run under the ERC banner," the party's general secretary, Elisenda Alamany, emphasized at a press conference.

"We are aware of these reflections, which we know are public. We think it's fine that Rufián wants to hold events on other topics throughout the country," added Alamany, who avoided publicly clashing with him. In fact, he also declined to comment on the message Rufián wrote to X on Monday morning. "What's coming won't be stopped by party labels, it will be stopped by people [...]. To believe that fascism will stop at the border of your headquarters or your nation because it votes differently is negligent magic," argued Rufián, who added: "Nothing more and even less purity." "I prefer not to comment on tweets," Alamany replied.

The number two in the ERC also did not answer whether the party was aware of the February 18th event. "We know Rufián's thoughts, but we don't tell him what his agenda is. Like other events, we think it's great that he's doing them. He doesn't need to ask our permission to give talks. We see it as perfectly normal," she stated. However, she also added that the party's commitment is to a "grassroots Left": "A project like ours: a national left rooted in our country and not decided from Madrid." In this regard, Alamany reiterated that the leadership wants Rufián to run again as the Republicans' lead candidate in the next general elections and asserted that she cannot imagine him running independently of the party.

Rufián's position makes the ERC leadership uncomfortable, although they don't want to escalate the debate. They believe they agree on the diagnosis but differ on the solution. Sources within the party insist that a platform like the one Rufián is proposing wouldn't work. The Republican spokesperson knows his proposal isn't popular with ERC leader Oriol Junqueras, and, in fact, the two have discussed it. However, it remains to be seen whether Rufián will ultimately be ERC's candidate—the party isn't considering anyone else—what conditions he sets for the nomination, and how far the Republican leadership is willing to go with his demands.

Door knocks

ERC's position is shared by EH Bildu, which already ruled out a broad front like the one proposed by Rufián last summer. This Monday, the leader of the Basque nationalist party, Arnaldo Otegi, reiterated this stance, calling the proposal "unviable" and stating in an interview with Euskadi Irratia that he has "never" discussed this issue with Rufián or ERC. EH Bildu deputy Oskar Matute also rejected the idea on Sunday night. Nevertheless, both Rufián and Matute are scheduled to hold a joint event in the coming weeks to discuss ways to contain the far right. In fact, sources close to Rufián say that the Republican spokesperson intends to continue holding such events, although they deny that it is a tour to promote this broad, left-wing, and plurinational front. What Rufián wants, according to the same sources, is to open "spaces for reflection," and if this ends with a broad candidacy, it will be welcome, they add.

For now, Rufián is not finding allies among the left-wing pro-independence parties or within ERC. Aside from EH Bildu, the BNG has also closed the door, and, to go no further, its leader in Galicia, Ana Pontón, stated this on Monday from Vigo: "We respect him, but the BNG operates on a different level." Only Joan Tardà, considered his mentor, has publicly defended him. "Recognition to people who, faced with the downpour that will hit us with the advance of fascism and hatred of Catalan identity, are working hard to find common ground among left-wing pro-independence and sovereigntist groups in the Catalan Countries and alliances with the left in other parts of Spain," he wrote in a tweet. In fact, Tardà already announced a few weeks ago that he will try to open that debate within ERC.

Rufián has not received any further public endorsements from Esquerra, but he has received some individual endorsements from other parts of Spain. This is the case of former Podemos leader Juan Carlos Monedero, who advocated for an alliance between the national left-wing forces, although he acknowledged the difficulties of forming one due to the "grievances" among all the parties and their leaders.

And so has Emilio Delgado, who will share the stage with Rufián on February 18. In fact, it was the Más Madrid spokesperson himself who proposed this event to the ERC leader. "The left cannot limit itself to repeating formulas, speeches, and leaders that no longer work. It's time to think, take risks, and truly compete for power again," he stated this morning in a message to X.

However, Delgado's party, Más Madrid, distanced itself from its spokesperson and considers the event with Rufián an initiative "outside" of political organizations. This was stated by the spokesperson for Más Madrid and Minister of Health, Mónica García, who noted that her party is one of those continuing talks with other left-wing groups, such as Izquierda Unida, Comunes, and Movimiento Sumar, to form an electoral alliance for the upcoming general elections. "Soon there will be a left-wing alliance that will answer questions about where the left and progressive forces are headed," García told the media. The leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, also did not endorse Rufián's proposal, advocating instead for a "democratic alliance with a minimum program." The party's spokesperson, Lara Hernández, added that they reject projects based on "hyper-leadership." The United Left also views it unfavorably, and its federal coordinator, Antonio Maíllo, has advocated for dialogue among the rank and file rather than "top-down" decisions. The Commons, for their part, support projects that are "rooted" in the local area and that align with the parties' "collective objectives," said their spokesperson, Gerardo Pisarello.