Rufián takes a step further: he shows himself willing to lead the left-wing front in the Spanish elections
The leader of Esquerra in Madrid reiterates that he will not leave the party despite the leadership not buying his proposal
MadridGabriel Rufián takes another step. The ERC leader in Madrid, who has become a phenomenon for the Spanish left, has shown himself "willing" this Wednesday to lead a new space for the Spanish elections of 2027. In a conference at the Club Siglo XXI in Madrid, reported by Europa Press, the Republican leader ignores the parties' refusal to join this option and insists on his path: the unity of the left in the upcoming elections. Until now, he had not opened himself to directly head this eventual new space, which the leadership of Esquerra in Barcelona completely rejects.
"If my presence can help, I am willing. Of course," Rufián declared, although he made it clear that it must be the progressive parties as a whole that agree on the visible face of the project. And what about ERC? He reiterated that his party is not indifferent to what happens beyond Catalonia – in his opinion, the most relevant project the left has before it now is to prevent PP and Vox from coming to power –, even though the leadership does not want to hear about a state-level alliance. Could this lead to the definitive clash between Rufián and Oriol Junqueras? The leader in Madrid assured that he will not leave Esquerra and that if they want him out, they will have to expel him.
The ERC list
Rufián has stated that he has set "conditions" for his party to repeat as head of the list. Requirements that he has already conveyed, he said, to the republican leadership, but which he has not wanted to reveal. On how he is with Oriol Junqueras, with whom they disagree on the course to follow, he has acknowledged that they do not agree on "everything" and that sometimes they "want to kill each other." However, he has refused to speak ill of the republican leader because it would be a "scoundrel." It is no secret in Madrid that Rufián has a very tense relationship with other deputies from Esquerra. In fact, some interpret his moves as a way to strengthen himself and have more negotiating power with Barcelona to be able to put people he trusts on the list.