The general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, has supported that the party's electoral strategy focuses on the figure of the former Minister of Equality and candidate, Irene Montero, whom she presents as a guarantee of an independent left from the PSOE and capable of standing up to the right. In her opinion, concentrating the message on her leadership connects better with the electorate, especially with the tandem she forms with the head of the list of ERC, Gabriel Rufián.
Belarra has also criticized that Frente Amplio has opted, according to her version, to prioritize the agreement with the PSOE for the Senate lists over the possibility of running alongside Podemos in the Congress in most autonomous communities. She claims that this decision implies renouncing seats in the Lower House in favor of the socialists, which was precisely what they were seeking in these elections.
In an appearance in Congress, the leader of Podemos has emphasized that the discrepancies with the new project of the minority parties of the Government are deep and hindered a pact, especially due to their approach to the relationship with the PSOE. She has asserted that the 'purples', when they were part of the Executive, "fought" for feminist laws and did not "yield" to the socialists.
She has recalled that Podemos and Frente Amplio staged their break last Friday, the last day to register coalitions, when negotiations for a global agreement failed. Finally, both forces will run separately in most constituencies, with the exception of the Canary Islands and the Valencian Community.
In parallel, Belarra has pointed out that in the case of Sumar they have observed a space that "yielded to what the PSOE commanded" and in which, within the Government, only the president Pedro Sánchez had weight. According to her assessment, the legislature has been characterized by "rearmament, corruption" and lack of response to the "brutal housing crisis."
"That cannot be erased with a stroke of the pen," Belarra emphasized, explaining that, in light of the differences with Frente Amplio, Podemos proposed holding open primaries so that citizens could determine the weight of each leftist project. However, she maintains that this formula was rejected by the formations of the minority wing of the Executive.
Belarra, disappointed with the decision of Frente Amplio
The leader of Podemos has expressed that it "deeply saddens" her that Frente Amplio, faced with the dilemma of achieving deputies with Podemos or closing a pact for the Senate with the PSOE, opted for the latter. She believes that this path is not the "way to rebuild an autonomous space from the PSOE."
"For that, it takes fighting, for that, it takes courage, for that, it takes being willing to pay the price they make you pay when you don't do what the PSOE wants. And it is evident what the PSOE wanted, which was to negotiate the lists for the Senate and wanted the lists to be withdrawn in many constituencies, so that only the PSOE remains," Belarra has insisted.
In contrast, she has defended that the candidacy of Irene Montero is the one that can "stand up" the alternative left and reach broad social layers during the campaign, supported by the joint work with Gabriel Rufián. She has described both as "people who are trustworthy" and who "do not bend in front of the right."
"No one absolutely escapes that Gabriel Rufián and Irene Montero, working as a team, can go much further than any acronym of any party, be it that of Podemos, be it that of ERC, be it what historically represents the space of change," she has emphasized, thus justifying a campaign very focused on the image of the former minister.
Belarra has added that the Podemos candidate has a "very broad service record" and has presented her as the ideal leader to insist on the urgency of recovering basic material living conditions, citing issues such as access to housing, the reduction of working hours, and the increase of the minimum wage.
Irene Montero, central face of the Podemos campaign
Sources from the 'purple' party maintain that there is no internal controversy over such a personalized campaign in Montero, as her image has consolidated as the main reference of Podemos to the point that, as they highlight, it would not be essential to show the logo for the electorate to identify the formation.
In a context of strong disaffection towards politics, those same sources believe that appealing to figures in whom one can trust and to their trajectory is an effective strategy. They also point out that they perceive a similar approach in Sánchez's pre-campaign and the PSOE, also very personalistic and supported by the figure of the president.
From Podemos they emphasize that the party's logo will appear on the ballot, although it has not yet been resolved whether Montero's photograph will also be included. They recall that there are precedents of this type: in the first elections of the formation, the image of its former leader Pablo Iglesias was used and, in 2023, Sumar combined its brand with the photograph of the vice president.
Regarding the relationship with the rest of the leftist forces, they detail that, despite the frictions with Frente Amplio, their objective is for the campaign to develop without attacks between like-minded projects and that, for their part, they will maintain an attitude of "white glove".