Rufián is "reflecting" on what role he must play in the 29-N elections

BarcelonaGabriel Rufián has spent the last few months asking left-wing and pro-sovereignty political forces to form a common front to run under the same umbrella for the upcoming general elections, which since this Monday already have a date, November 29. The current ERC spokesperson in Congress, however, has been rebuffed by most formations in this space, especially from his own party, which has strained relations with Oriol Junqueras' leadership. With November 29 in sight, Esquerra activates this very Monday the internal mechanisms to configure the candidacy for the next general elections and Rufián leaves it up in the air whether he will be the party's candidate: he admits that he is "reflecting" on what his role should be in the next elections. The republicans' leadership, however, maintains that he is their bet. "He is the best candidate," stated the party's general secretary, Elisenda Alamany, in a press conference.

Rufián will have to decide this very week, because the party opens a six-day period starting this Monday to present candidacies and collect endorsements. That is to say, he has until Sunday to present his internal candidacy to lead the ERC list in the next general elections and the 400 minimum endorsements necessary for it to be valid. "On October 17, ERC will be able to make its list public," affirmed Alamany. It is the day the party has set as a deadline to have concluded the internal process and present its candidacies to the Congress and also to the Senate.

Meanwhile, sources from Rufián's circle assure that he maintains his bet that "pro-sovereignty left-wing parties get involved and lead this time together with the Spanish ones." He continues to defend that a joint candidacy would be "an act of generosity and collaboration at the height of the moment and the threat being experienced," in reference to the rise of the extreme right. "He will listen to everyone and decide," the same sources state. "He has never left a battle unfought, but the conditions under which one goes into this battle are more important than ever," they add, reports Núria Orriols Guiu.

Is Junqueras as a candidate an option?

Does ERC have an alternative candidate if Rufián says he does not want to be a candidate? The party does not want to put itself in that scenario, at least publicly. In fact, Elisenda Alamany has tried to close the door on the option that Oriol Junqueras, leader of ERC, be the ERC candidate in the next general elections. "Oriol Junqueras wants to be a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat. It is what suits him and what best defends the national ambition. The bet is clear," she stated. However, she did not want to consider the scenario that, regardless of whether Junqueras bets on running in the Catalan elections, he could previously do so in the November 29 elections as well. For the moment, behind closed doors, the leadership rules it out. She also did not assess whether former minister Raül Romeva could be a candidate if the Supreme Court lifts his disqualification.

If Rufián ends up being a candidate, will the ERC leadership take his conditions into account? "When there is a candidate and they express one thing or another, one conversation or another must be held," Alamany stated. The Republican spokesperson wants to surround himself with a team he trusts and have more capacity to influence the decisions that depend on Madrid. Currently, Rufián's relationship with the rest of the parliamentary group in Madrid is practically broken.