Rufián says that yesterday he was about to quit and shoots against ERC: "We have failed"

BarcelonaGabriel Rufián considers the possibility of a unitary agreement to the left of the PSOE as practically buried, both in Catalonia and in the State, and admits that he has even thought about quitting. He explained this in an interview on RAC 1, with only a few hours left before the deadline for submitting coalitions for November 29th expires at midnight. The leader of the Republicans, very critical of his party's leadership, revealed that this Thursday he was on the verge of stepping aside and that he did not do so because he was "stopped" and out of responsibility, but he acknowledged that he has not succeeded with his plans for a unitary candidacy: "I have failed, we have failed. There are hours left, but it is very likely that it will not happen," he said.

Rufián has apologized to the voters for having thought that, starting from his electoral "strength," he could "drag" the apparatus of his party and the rest of the left-wing groups. "I apologize to the people," he said. The same people for whom he assures he has not thrown in the towel. "If there is a minimal possibility and there are people who might come to vote for ERC and beyond because of my presence, I must stay out of responsibility," he insisted.

From there, the Republican did not spare reproaches for his own party for the refusal to go beyond the agreement with Podemos and also add the Comuns. "The party is not prepared? It is not prepared for what?" he asked himself. "Then you do not represent the society you want to represent," he criticized. Aware of the forcefulness of his words, he stated that what drives him is working for the party's voters, but not for its leaders: "My job is not to please whoever happens to be in an ERC office, it is to place ERC in a winning position. I do my job," he said. Likewise, he censured the criticisms regarding his request to configure the list for the general elections. "Rufián wants to have trusted people. And who doesn't? Does [Míriam] Nogueras not have trusted people?" he said. Be that as it may, he has closed the door on tearing up his Republican membership card.

Regarding the background of his electoral project, he stated that the plan "was never to lead the Spanish left nor to replace Yolanda Díaz", but to generate agreements between the sovereignist lefts and the Spanish left and to try to "optimize" the offer of these spaces at the polls. "The Broad Front is something that already existed: Sumar, Más Madrid... And that's that", he lamented. But he avoided any type of direct confrontation with the rest of the formations, including the Comuns. Regarding Ada Colau, chosen to head the Broad Front on November 29th, he said that he "respects" her a lot and that he only has "kind words" for her. This Thursday, the former mayor of Barcelona lamented that Rufián has opted for an understanding with Podemos without a global agreement that would also include the Broad Front, but encouraged him to wage the "battle" within ERC to turn the situation around.