The keys to the success of Endavant Andalusia (and the roadmap that Gabriel Rufián will not like)

MadridOne of the conclusions from the elections in Andalusia, besides the bittersweet triumph of the PP and the collapse of the PSOE, is the strengthening of Endavant Andalusia, a sovereignist and Andalusianist party that has always wanted to distance itself from the "classic and traditional" left-wing parties that are in the Spanish government. Now it is also distancing itself from Gabriel Rufián's positions, who maintains the commitment to weave a common front for the upcoming general elections. The electoral success, which the polls failed to detect, has been undeniable: they have doubled their votes, quadrupled their seats, and were the third force in Cadiz and Seville, ahead of Vox. So much so that the PP considers Endavant Andalusia responsible for the impossibility of renewing the absolute majority.

Emerging from the divorce with Podemos, Teresa Rodríguez was one of the key figures in founding the party in 2020 and led it in the 2022 regional elections, in which it obtained the two seats that Endavant Andalusia had until now. This Sunday, she was seen voting at her polling station with a scarf on her head, responding on social media to those who were mocking her: "I'm wearing a kufiya that I borrowed from the Palestinian people so my head doesn't burn because after chemotherapy I lost my hair, dear uninformed person".

It is no coincidence that one of the first to react on election night was Gabriel Rufián. Although a month ago he shared a stage with Irene Montero, who is currently an MEP for Podem, the ERC spokesperson in Congress questioned the role of the Spanish left, which he sees as the "problem", and called for the responsibility of the "sovereignist lefts" to converge for 2027: "It is their moment. A moment they must know how to interpret and lead. The conclusion cannot be 'Since it suits me, to hell with the rest'."

However, it is an invitation that Endavant Andalusia has been quick to reject: "We have risen because we have maintained an independent line from the classic and traditional left-wing parties that are in the Spanish government," said the party's candidate, José Ignacio García, this Monday in an interview with Canal Sur Radio. And he reinforced the argument: "We have connected with people who might have stayed at home or voted for other options, but would not have voted for a left-wing unity candidacy because we are different projects." The formation has confirmed that it will run alone in next year's Spanish elections, maintaining its "independent" line with respect to the Spanish left-wing parties.

In fact, other formations analogous to Endavant Andalusia have highlighted, precisely, the crucial importance of territorial roots, which three months ago was also decisive for the electoral growth of the Chunta Aragonesista (CHA), which in February doubled its votes and seats in the Aragonese Courts. "You have confirmed that territorial left-wing parties generate enthusiasm due to our roots," the leader of the formation, Jorge Pueyo, has now underlined on X. Joan Baldoví, the visible face of Compromís in the Valencian Community, believes that the key is "proximity" and Emilio Delgado, the number two of Més Madrid and who shared an event with Rufián three months ago, argues that the left-wing parties that "resist best" are those that "present a specific project for their territories".

Looking to the future, the leader of Esquerra Unida and candidate for the elections, Antonio Maíllo, has called for unity: "There may be a temptation to build a fragmented left. It would be the greatest favor that could be done to the PSOE, which would become the only left-wing force at the state level, and that would be a drama".

A "double opposition"

Sources from Sumar –which presented itself in Andalusia in coalition with Esquerra Unida and Podem with Per Andalusia– believe that what has given impetus to Endavant Andalusia is that it has carried out a "double opposition", both to Juanma Moreno Bonilla's PP and to the Spanish government. Furthermore, they highlight that they have managed to connect with young voters.

At the microphones, the co-coordinator of Sumar, Lara Hernández, asserted that the left wing "is making headway" with a "clear mobilization that is reflected at the ballot box". However, the space of the left wing "has broadened" thanks to Endavant Andalusia, which has gained 230,000 votes compared to 2022, while Per Andalusia has lost 20,000. Both Sumar and Podem diagnose that dual voting has also played an important role: people who vote for one party in the regional elections and change their position in the general elections.