Sumar stages a refounding with calls for left-wing unity: "We will not close the door to anyone"

MadridThe debate about unity to the left of the PSOE has resurfaced strongly in recent days. Gabriel Rufián's call on Wednesday not to split the progressive vote The prospect of running together again in the upcoming general elections resonated this Saturday at another event in Madrid. Comunes, Más Madrid, Izquierda Unida, and Movimiento Sumar staged a demonstration that they will once again contest the elections scheduled for 2027, amid heightened anticipation. because of the Republican's proposalWhile these groups' approach differs from that of the ERC spokesperson in Congress, and there are no realistic expectations of bringing the pro-independence parties on board, the new electoral coalition—still in its very early stages—has emphasized the need to be as many actors as possible within a single candidacy. "We won't close the door to anyone," they stated. This appeal does reflect a desire—currently a pipe dream after the traumatic split at the beginning of the legislature—to attract Podemos. They have also included other parties with which they have previously joined forces, such as Compromís and Més per Mallorca. the Aragonese UnionOf these, only the Valencia fans attended the presentation, in which Yolanda Díaz was notably absent.

If the four parties in Spain's junior coalition partner already formed an alliance in 2023, what's changed now, and why are they running again? The internal crises of the previous coalition—with frictions that have filled countless pages of the media in recent years—have forced its members to reconsider how to work together, under what brand, and with what leadership. Criticism of the personalistic nature of Díaz's project—now reduced to an equal player with the other parties after having aspired to be an umbrella organization above them all—and the lack of horizontal decision-making, coupled with poor results in the last election cycle and plummeting poll numbers, have compelled them to do so. For now, it remains unclear whether the Second Vice President of the Spanish government will again lead the ticket or what name the coalition will adopt. What is certain in the proposal? That the four parties holding ministerial positions will run together again and are determined to relate to each other differently.

Unlike the birth of Sumar, which presented itself as a citizens' movement in 2022 And Díaz, who sought to sideline "the acronyms and the parties," almost four years later, the former lead candidate on June 23rd attended the event to relaunch the political space, aiming to "cede all the protagonism to the parties." "It's time for the political organizations," they now say from Sumar. Unlike what happened then, they now want to first build a better relationship among them and only then address the definition of leadership. The other four ministers in the coalition did attend. In fact, the Minister of Culture from Comunes, Ernest Urtasun, and the Minister of Health from Más Madrid, Mónica García, spoke, along with the co-coordinator of Sumar, Lara Hernández, and the leader of Izquierda Unida, Antonio Maíllo. They all emphasized the need to "organize well and with political intelligence" and to incorporate "more people and more organizations."

Now, the main actor that weakens them electorally by running separately, namely Podemos, has already rejected this proposal and openly distanced itself. And what about Rufián? On the one hand, the new coalition welcomed the idea of ​​"seeking new formulas," but at the same time asserted that the "meticulous work" of electoral arithmetic proposed by the Republican "is not new" and that they themselves have been applying it for years. "This arithmetic is very necessary, but elections aren't won solely through electoral sociology. They are won with a winning political project," Urtasun responded.

Overflowing space

The space set up for the event at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, with a capacity for around 400 people, has proven too small given the interest generated by the event, dubbed as One step forwardThe organizers had to open a second room with a capacity of about 200 people, from where the event could be followed on a screen, but hundreds more were left outside. The speakers went down to greet them and basked in the adulation of the crowd, which served to illustrate—as was seen at Rufián's event—that among their potential voters there is a desire for them to take action and unite in the face of the rise of the far right—a call echoed by several people who expressed sympathy for the Republican's approach.

Most of the attendees were middle-aged or elderly, while young people—the age group where Vox has the most influence and with whom the ERC spokesperson connects well—had a minimal presence. Former leaders such as Ada Colau and Alberto Garzón, as well as union leaders, also attended the event, which aimed to break the "discouragement" that had taken hold in this political space. "The melancholy of the left is over," Maíllo proclaimed.