Strong division within Compromís over the appointment of the regional senator
One of the coalition parties agrees not to participate in the governing bodies until the conflict is resolved.
ValenciaThe appointment of former President of the Valencian Parliament, Enric Morera, as a regional senator for Compromís has sparked a crisis within the Valencian coalition that threatens to damage, perhaps permanently, the always unstable relationship between the three parties that comprise it.
The reason for the dispute is the discontent generated within the Valencian People's Initiative (IPV), one of the two minority parties that make up Compromís, by the election of Morera, who is a member of Més—the majority party in the coalition. IPV maintains that the position of senator corresponds to their party and had even carried out an internal process to elect the representative, which was won by the current senator Carlos Mulet.
The argument of IPV, the party led by Mónica Oltra until her resignation in June of last year, is based on the fact that the coalition has always distributed its seats in a proportion of 65% for Més, 35% for Iniciativa del Poble Valencià, and 5% for the Greens. According to these percentages, IPV was allocated 5 of the 15 seats it won in the Valencian Parliament. Since it only won four, the party hoped to correct this situation by adding a representative in the Senate, but Más opposed this. The reason for the Valencianists' refusal is that in the Congress of Deputies each party has obtained one representative, and if IPV were to add a senator, it would have two leaders in the Spanish Parliament, while Más would have only one, a circumstance they believe upsets the coalition's balance.
To determine how to respond to Morera's appointment, elected this Tuesday by the majority of the 15 Compromís deputies in Les Corts, Iniciativa held a meeting this afternoon, resolving that they will abstain from participating in Compromís bodies until Més reconsiders its position. This was stated at the end of the meeting by Alberto Ibáñez, co-spokesperson for IPV, who described the situation as "extremely serious" and affirmed that they will not meet again with their partners "until they keep their word."
Més has declined to comment, limiting itself to issuing a statement in which it maintains that "no Compromís party is breaching any agreement" and that to say so is "untruthful." "A disagreement has been made explicit in the interpretation of the pacts between one of the parties, Iniciativa, and the rest," they summarized.
Més also claims not to understand how "an internal disagreement over the interpretation of the pacts" has generated "a unilateral reaction" from IPV, which they consider "disproportionate," and they assured that they will work to "resolve the discrepancies always through dialogue."
Electoral coalition or federation of parties?
Several factors lie behind the conflict between Més and IPV. One of them is Más' desire for Compromís to cease being an electoral coalition and become a federation of parties, an option that IPV, a party with far fewer members, views with reluctance, given that it believes it could lose visibility and decision-making power.
Also influencing these disagreements is the discontent that has built up over the years within Més, whose leaders believe that during the period in which the coalition was headed by Mónica Oltra, IPV achieved greater representation and decision-making power than it deserved, and that now it's time to rebalance the scales. "Today's is a farce," asserted even some high-ranking Més officials, who did not want to hide their anger and maintained that their party will not budge from its positions. Valencian supporters hope that Iniciativa will rectify its position and agree to negotiate in order to adapt to a new context, with greater "precariousness after losing its presence in the institutions."
The leader of Iniciativa del Poble Valencià and former senator, Carles Mulet, does not see it that way. He believes that Más is implementing a strategy to "gain control of all of Compromiso," in moves that the party would have initiated by reserving the coalition's top-list positions both in the Corts Valencianes (Valencian Parliament)—which previously held the top spot in the Senate.
The last element that could influence the future of the coalition is a hypothetical consolidation of the Sumar project, an option that could offer a way out for the leaders and activists of Iniciativa del Poble Valencià if relations with their colleagues in Més do not improve.
