The spokesperson for ERC in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, keeps the decision open regarding the role he will play in the general elections on November 29. Sources close to the spokesperson for the republicans confirm to DEMÓCRATA that he is "reflecting and listening" and that he will speak with different actors before deciding how to face the new appointment with the polls.
His environment assures that the republican leader still considers that, although it was foreseeable, the electoral advance announced by Pedro Sánchez is "rushed and irresponsible because the sum does not add up". An assessment that comes on the same day that the parties to the left of the PSOE have begun to reorganize their candidacies ahead of elections called with less than two months' notice.
The same sources indicate that he maintains his bet for the sovereignist left to get involved and lead this new stage alongside the state left, in a "act of generosity and collaboration worthy of the moment and threat being experienced".
Regarding his immediate future, his environment avoids closing any scenario. "He will listen to everyone and decide. He has never left a battle without fighting, but the conditions with which he goes into this battle are more important than ever", sources close to the republican spokesperson convey to DEMÓCRATA.
ERC bets on Rufián to head the list again
The republicans want him to be their head of list for Congress again and have already initiated the internal procedure to configure their candidacies.
The general secretary and spokesperson for ERC, Elisenda Alamany, has defended that Rufián is "the best asset we have for this call" and has explained that this Monday the internal process of the party begins. ERC expects to have its complete candidacy prepared and ratified by October 17.
The calendar forces Rufián to make a decision in the coming days. The process for presenting candidacies and gathering the necessary endorsements takes place this week, before ERC definitively closes its lists for Congress and the Senate.
Alamany has also ruled out that Oriol Junqueras intends to head the candidacy for the general elections. As she explained, the president of ERC has conveyed to her that his goal is to be president of the Generalitat, thus separating his political future from the race for Congress.
For his part, the president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, has also reacted to the electoral advance announced by Sánchez and has assured that his party is prepared to face the appointment with the polls. "Prepared to defend Catalunya and break our faces to improve people's lives", he has pointed out in a post on X.
Preparats per defensar Catalunya i partir-nos la cara per millorar la vida de la gent.
— Oriol Junqueras 🎗️ (@junqueras) October 5, 2026
The Unknown of the Frente Amplio
The decision comes in the midst of movement within the space situated to the left of the PSOE. Movimiento Sumar, Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, and the comunes have begun to build a candidacy under the brand Frente Amplio, with the intention of incorporating more political, social, and civic organizations.
The debate has accelerated following the electoral call. Podemos has proposed to hold open primaries on October 14 and 15 as a condition to converge and choose the head of the list for a possible joint candidacy, while the Sumar space demands that any proposal be discussed at a negotiation table.
Frente Amplio has ahead of it a broad debate on how to integrate the different regionalist left forces into the project. Compromís, Chunta Aragonesista, and Més per Mallorca have opted to negotiate bilaterally with the state organizations and demand that any possible convergences respect the autonomy of the forces with territorial implantation.
With ERC betting on Rufián and the alternative left space in full negotiation, the spokesperson for ERC is reserving the decision for now.