Junqueras and Otegi meet in San Sebastián amid debate on a left-wing understanding.

Barcelona / MadridOriol Junqueras and Arnaldo Otegi met this Monday in San Sebastián. The meeting is not innocuous, but comes weeks after the debate about an understanding between the left-wing and pro-independence parties in the State has surfaced, especially in the wake of the proposal publicly defended by ERC spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel RufiánAn idea, that of forming a plurinational, left-wing coalition that could run in the next general elections, does not have the support of the Republicans' leadership nor that of EH Bildu. In a statement, both parties explain that in this morning's meeting they "analyzed the scenarios that could arise in the coming months" and that the objective was "to explore responses to the complicated and hopeless situation generated in the world and in Spain." However, they make no reference to the possibility of forming an electoral coalition as Rufián proposed and simply state that they will "always" collaborate so that their projects "are stronger and our countries are more just and free."

This Monday's meeting is part of the round of meetings that EH Bildu has begun a few weeks ago with the parties that make up the investiture bloc in Spain. With Esquerra, EH Bildu already maintains a coordinating relationship in various spaces: they share a list in the European Parliament, a parliamentary group in the Senate, and collaborate in Congress. In fact, sources from Oriol Junqueras's party also add that Monday's meeting goes beyond a round of talks opened by EH Bildu and assert that it is a coordination meeting like those they have held on other occasions to share strategies in the different political spaces they share.

Neither Esquerra nor EH Bildu are in favor of implementing the idea put forward by the Republican spokesperson in Congress. Rufián's proposal, in fact, generated unrest among the Republican leadership, and the spokesperson in Parliament, Ester Capella, publicly denied that Esquerra was working on this scenario. Despite not receiving the endorsement of either the leadership or the party's president, Oriol Junqueras, Rufián reaffirmed his idea, something that did not please the party leadership. In fact, the position of the Republican spokesman He highlighted his disagreement with Junqueras.But the relationship between the two leaders became strained. Although there are voices speculating about Rufián's continued candidacy, at the time the national leadership didn't question his candidacy if an early election were to be held.

"Faced with the wave of reaction rising in Spain, we agree that the solution is more nation-building and more nation-building," both parties added in the statement. In addition to Junqueras and Otegi, the meeting on Monday was also attended by the Republicans: the Secretary General of ERC, Elisenda Alamany, and the Deputy Secretary General, Oriol López; also present on the Aberzales side were the Secretary of Political Relations and Senate Spokesperson, Gorka Elejabarrieta, and the Deputy Senate Spokesperson and member of the EH Bildu political committee, Idurre Bideguren.

Bildu will continue with the meetings.

Bildu will continue the round of meetings it began with Podemos—it met with Ione Belarra and Irene Montero—before the summer with two more meetings this Wednesday. Otegi will meet with the delegations of Més por Mallorca and Compromís, both pro-independence forces from Mallorca and Valencia with representation in Congress, and which ran under the umbrella of Sumar in the last elections. Sources familiar with these approaches explain to ARA that the Aberzale party has been "simmering" for some time now a proposal to deepen coordination between the territorial and state pro-independence parties. They emphasize that until now there have been preliminary meetings—such as the Lonja de Mar space, of which Junts is also a member—but that now the goal is to discuss how to act jointly in the face of a scenario of the rise of the right and the far right.

"Everything is open," say sources from Més per Mallorca, which could welcome a hypothetical electoral coalition or a single parliamentary group in Congress. The same sources make it clear that nothing has been established yet and that the basis is a joint assessment that requires greater coordination between these parties. Compromís agrees that this is still in its infancy and that they are "waiting and seeing" what Bildu proposes. To begin with, they see the possibility of forming a single parliamentary group of the pro-independence forces in the future as difficult, especially since ERC or EH Bildu would hardly give up having their own. However, they see building alliances as "positive" in the context of the rise of the far right.