Antonio Maíllo Cañadas is the candidate of Por Andalucía for the Presidency of the Junta in the elections of March 17. Born in Lucena, Córdoba, in 1966, he is a graduate in Classical Philology from the University of Seville and a Latin teacher in public secondary education centers since passing the competitive examinations in 1990.
Maíllo is also the federal coordinator of Izquierda Unida since 2024 and one of the most recognizable leaders of the political space to the left of the PSOE in Andalusia. His candidacy heads the Por Andalucía coalition, which brings together Izquierda Unida, Sumar, Iniciativa del Pueblo Andaluz, Alternativa Republicana, Partido Verde, Podemos, and Alianza Verde.
A historical figure of IU
Maíllo's career has been linked to Izquierda Unida since its early years. He was a councilor in Sanlúcar de Barrameda between 1991 and 1995 and later in Aracena for two terms, between 2003 and 2011. Later he was elected general coordinator of IULV-CA and candidate for the Presidency of the Junta.
In the 2012 regional elections, he was elected deputy for Seville and assumed the spokesperson role for his group. He was also part of the cycle of the coalition government between PSOE and IU, which ended in 2015 when Susana Díaz called early elections after considering the pact broken.
In 2018, he ran again as number two for Adelante Andalucía, then a confluence led by Teresa Rodríguez. In 2019, he left the leadership of IU Andalucía and his seat in the Parliament for health reasons, after overcoming cancer, and returned to public education.
The return with Por Andalucía
Maíllo now returns to the Andalusian front line with a difficult mission: to unite a large part of the alternative left under a single ballot and prevent fragmentation from penalizing the distribution of seats.
Por Andalucía tries to occupy the space of useful left-wing politics against the PP and Vox, but it also competes with Adelante Andalucía for the symbolic leadership of the bloc to the left of the PSOE. That struggle will be one of the keys of March 17.
The challenge of March 17
Maíllo needs to improve or, at least, sustain the presence of Por Andalucía in the Parliament. His profile combines institutional experience, public teaching, and a discourse of unity. His great asset is appearing as a solvent, recognizable leader with a track record. His risk is that the division of the Andalusian left may limit the outcome of his candidacy.
The 17M will say if Maíllo manages to turn the unity of IU, Sumar, and Podemos into sufficient representation or if Adelante Andalucía disputes the political prominence of the alternative space. His candidacy is, in essence, a test for the entire state left, under pressure from the Andalusianism of Adelante Andalucía.