The debate on continuity in Sumar fractures Compromís

ValenciaSumar's refusal to summon Spanish President Pedro Sánchez to the upcoming commission of inquiry into the DANA (National Anti-Terrorism Act) has fractured Compromís. This Monday afternoon, it must decide whether to leave the parliamentary group or maintain its alliance with the party led by Vice President Yolanda Díaz.

At this point, the disagreement is profound. On one side are the Valencianists of Més, the largest party in the coalition, who advocate leaving the group, arguing that the electoral agreements that gave Compromís the power to decide on the parliamentary group's initiatives on issues affecting the Valencian Country have not been respected. On the other side, the eco-socialist Iniciativa del Poble Valencià (Initiative of the Valencian People)—the party of former Vice President Mónica Oltra—is committed to continuing because they believe no red line has been crossed. The third leg, the environmentalists of Verds Equo—who are a minority—have not spoken out.

The best example of the division is that the executive committees of both parties unanimously ratified their positions, and they did so knowing the completely opposing position of their partner. Since then, neither party has made much change, and it is difficult to predict what the decision will be. However, according to sources consulted by ARA, there is confidence in the coalition that an agreement can be reached, an outcome that could favor some change in Sumar's position. Another possibility is that, given that each party has one representative—Àgueda Micó belongs to Més, and Alberto Ibáñez to Iniciativa—the former could leave the parliamentary group and the latter could stay. However, this option would seriously jeopardize the future of the coalition.

The fact that there are no rules governing how decisions should be made also plays a key role in making it difficult to predict what will happen. This is because, formally, Compromís is merely an electoral coalition. In fact, this is one of the problems they've been facing for years. A dilemma that also separates the three parties. Más prefers Compromís to become a single party, while Iniciativa—a party with far fewer members—opposes this option because it fears losing power. That's why it defends the formula of a party federation, a proposal also supported by Verds Equo, and to which Més seems to have resigned himself.

In the absence of rules governing their operation, Compromís has grown accustomed to resolving debates by consensus and avoiding votes, a circumstance that has always dragged out negotiations until the last minute. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the coalition will not make any decision this Monday and will instead opt for continuing talks with Sumar. To anticipate a possible outcome, we also have the proportions used in the most important deliberations for the parties: the preparation of electoral lists, in which a quota of 65% has always been applied to Más, 35% to Iniciativa, and 5% to Verds Equo.

Aside from numerical factors, the debate between Més and Iniciativa is also ideological. The former, although they have moderated their discourse over the years, still define themselves as pro-sovereignty. The latter were born as a split from the United Left and have always maintained that their main objective is social policies and not measures that prioritize self-government, identity, and the language of the Valencian Country.

The federation of parties that doesn't arrive

If we look for a precedent for the current division, we find the debate that erupted in July 2023 over the appointment of former President of the Valencian Parliament, Enric Morera, as a territorial senator. Morera imposed his majority among the deputies in the Valencian Parliament, which angered Iniciativa. Faced with the Valencianists' refusal to amend their choice, Iniciativa decided not to participate in the Compromís bodies until Més reconsidered his position, something that never happened. The disagreement lasted until the end of October of that year, when Iniciativa decided to return to it after agreeing on "spaces for a more agile and cohesive structure." In reality, and according to ARA, what was agreed upon was the creation of the party federation, which, however, eight months later, has still not seen the light of day. According to coalition sources, the DANA postponed the announcement, which was now expected to take place after the summer. "We hope the new controversy doesn't ruin all our efforts," these sources emphasize.