The Spanish legislature

Rufián invites Junqueras to his event in Madrid and downplays the absences: "The key is not who, but how."

Yolanda Díaz will not attend the presentation of Sumar's new alliance on Saturday.

The leader of Esquerra, Gabriel Rufián, during his speech
ARA
18/02/2026
2 min

Barcelona"I invited him to my wedding, why shouldn't I invite him to everything?" This was Gabriel Rufián's response when asked if he had invited the leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras. to his act to unite the left throughout the State, which will take place this afternoon in Madrid. It so happens that the leader of ERC is in the Spanish capital today for a meeting of the Republican parliamentary group, but he does not plan to attend the event organized by his spokesperson in Congress. The explanation he had given was that he had not received an invitation, but Rufián has decided to abandon this excuse: "I think it's this way, I'll tell him now. And if he can, he should come," he said.

Aware that his initiative has generated misgivings among the parties to the left of the PSOE, although most will attend the event, and that It hasn't pleased his own party eitherRufián downplayed his absences this afternoon from the meeting, which will consist of a conversation with the deputy spokesperson for Más Madrid in the regional parliament, Emilio Delgado. "Instead of talking so much about the what or the who, it's necessary to talk more about the how, which is the key to everything." The Republican, in fact, attributed his absence on Saturday to a "scheduling conflict." the act of re-establishing the electoral alliance of Sumar with Más Madrid, Izquierda Unida, and Comunes.

Arguing that he wouldn't criticize anyone, from Esquerra or elsewhere, for their positions regarding his desire to unite the Spanish left and the pro-independence movement, Rufián also refrained from dwelling on the fact that the Republicans had turned their backs on him. When asked what Junqueras, with whom he claimed to speak daily, had told him so far, he simply replied: "He told me that the weather is worse in Madrid than in Barcelona."

Yolanda Díaz will not attend the Sumar event

Meanwhile, the second piece of the left-wing puzzle will be presented on Saturday, also in Madrid. Movimiento Sumar, Comunes, Izquierda Unida, and Más Madrid will unveil their renewed electoral coalition for the upcoming general elections. However, the current leader of the coalition, Yolanda Díaz, will not be attending, as she announced in an interview. The Sixth.

stats