The new Sumar presents itself as the "clean" alternative to the PSOE: "It must assume responsibilities"

BarcelonaThe left-wing front that began in February in Madrid has made a stop this Saturday in Barcelona. Comuns, Més Madrid, Esquerra Unida and Moviment Sumar have once again shared a stage to defend a common project for the upcoming general elections at a time when Gabriel Rufián's proposal, which calls for uniting state and sovereignist left-wing forces, continues to resonate. Under the slogan A step forward, the promoters of this refoundation of what was Sumar in 2023 have presented themselves as the alternative to the PSOE at a time when alleged corruption cases surround the socialists and, especially, the circle of the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez. In this regard, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, has demanded that the PSOE make a move: "Responsibilities must be assumed, faces must be shown, and brave decisions must be made."

Throughout this week, Sumar, the minority partner in the Spanish government, has requested explanations from the PSOE following Zapatero's indictment and the police entry into the socialists' headquarters on Ferraz street. For Urtasun, Pedro Sánchez's appearance in Congress to explain the latest judicial cases surrounding his party is a "first step," but he believes the socialists must go further: "The information that is emerging is serious, it deserves a response and firm action." And in this regard, he added: "We demand that the PSOE's headquarters not continue to be a burden for the country's progressive space."

For now, Sumar's response to the judicial cases that are harassing the PSOE is to demand that Pedro Sánchez make a move to cut off this entire judicial siege at the root, but they are not considering leaving the coalition government. In fact, the coordinator of Moviment Sumar, Lara Hernández, has asked the Spanish president to "take care of the progressive government" to prevent all of this from becoming a springboard for the right and the far-right to reach the Spanish government. The general coordinator of Esquerra Unida, Antonio Maíllo, in this regard, has demanded from the PSOE "a democratic reform of the State" so that there are neither "sewers nor Villarejos."

In this regard, all representatives of this left-wing front who spoke this morning from Barcelona have repeated a premise: "Zero corruption exists". In fact, they have presented their space as the example. "We are the clean left, the brave left," argued the Minister of Consumption, Pablo Bustinduy, who added: "Damn the corrupt for betraying the popular will." However, the Minister of Health and next candidate for Més Madrid for the Community of Madrid, Mónica García, admitted that they are aware that a political operation is underway to end the coalition government: "But that is no excuse. There are inadmissible behaviors for the left, we are not the same as them".

A left-wing front

In conclusion, the proponents of this broad left-wing front have presented it as essential to curb the rise of the right and far-right. This was defended by the Comuns' candidate for mayor in Barcelona, Gerardo Pisarello, who opened the event: "We are a sister force to build bridges with left-wing forces and to defend the working class".

The left-wing front claimed by the heirs of Sumar from 2023, the coalition led by Yolanda Díaz in the general elections three years ago, does not yet have a visible face. Its promoters presented themselves in February at an event in Madrid, and their objective, they said at the time, is to build a broad project to run in the 2027 general elections and leave the choice of candidate until the end. Yolanda Díaz was not present at the event three months ago, nor was she in Barcelona this Saturday. The second vice-president and Minister of Labour had already announced a few days after the relaunch of Sumar that she would not run as a candidate again.

Podem is the great absentee in the early stages of this embryo of the new Sumar. The purple party has distanced itself from it from the outset and has approached the proposal launched by ERC spokesperson Gabriel Rufián, who, in fact, shared a stage at an event in Barcelona with Irene Montero on April 9th, where they defended joining forces to run in the next general elections. ERC, however, continues to reject the proposal that Rufián continues to defend publicly. For now, the proposal of the new Sumar and the one defended by Rufián have not converged, although the promoters of the broad front that was presented this Saturday in Barcelona have urged the republican leader to specify his proposal to discuss it.