Izquierda Unida (IU), Movimiento Sumar, Comuns and Más Madrid will once again stage their understanding this Sunday in Seville for the upcoming general elections, with a new joint event with which they aim to consolidate themselves as the space that concentrates the unity of the left.
The formations that make up the minority partner of the Government face this event without the urgency to clarify their political leadership now, after almost two months since the resignation of the Minister of Labor Yolanda Díaz to repeat as a candidate, and without letting themselves be dragged by the movements of Podemos, which has promoted the tandem between the spokesperson for ERC, Gabriel Rufián, and the former Minister of Equality Irene Montero after the event they both shared in Barcelona.
The four organizations meet again after announcing the reissue of their confluence on February 21 in Madrid, in an event that will now also serve to boost the pre-campaign of the Por Andalucía coalition (which brings together IU, Movimiento Sumar and Podemos, along with other forces), whose candidate for the May 17 elections is the federal coordinator of IU, Antonio Maíllo.
In this context, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, and the heads of Social Rights and Culture, Pablo Bustinduy and Ernest Urtasun, will support the IU leader at an event in which the participation of state leaders from Podemos is not foreseen, despite the fact that the purple ones finally integrate for these elections into "Por Andalucía".
Rufián, Montero and the pulse in the left
The forces that make up the Sumar coalition, according to sources from this space, remain calm regarding Podemos after having put forward the Rufián-Montero tandem as a proposal to lead the reorganization of the left. For now, they interpret it as a specific gesture and emphasize that ERC, Rufián's party, has distanced itself from the message launched by its spokesperson in Congress.
Faced with this, in the Sumar environment they highlight that they are the ones taking sustained steps in favor of unity, with an outstretched hand to Podemos, and they emphasize that one must be realistic: the purple ones must assume that their political weight is no longer what it was ten years ago and that they are coming from negative results in Aragon and Castile and Leon. They also add that Andalusia sets the course and should serve as a reference at the state level, with the broadest and most unified alliances possible.
On this line, the president of the Comuns in the Catalan Parliament pointed out this week that the Junqueras route was prevailing over Rufián's, whom she urged to specify his approach. Her party colleague and co-spokesperson for the Catalan formation, Aina Vidal, argued that what citizens are demanding is "honest" unity "without blackmail" from the alternative left.
In sectors of the minority partner of the Executive, the event that Irene Montero shared this Thursday in Valencia with the former vice-president of the Generalitat Valenciana Mónica Oltra, from Compromís, and the Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, has caused a better impression.
Candidacy, internal timelines, and electoral brand
In parallel, different sources insist on asking for calm regarding the choice of the electoral candidate, considering that the priority now is to strengthen internal relations and expand the number of organizations that are integrated into the space. The slogan is that there is a lack of a clear electoral reference, but that it can be compensated with choral leaderships.
For the moment, Bustinduy himself has repeatedly ruled himself out as a possible candidate, emphasizing that this is not the role he is meant to play.
In any case, leaders of these forces advance that, after the Andalusian elections, they will continue to take joint steps, also conditioned by internal organic appointments, such as the Sumar assembly, which will mark the calendar. Likewise, they emphasize that the definition of the electoral brand will be addressed when they consider that the appropriate conditions are met.
Extension of leases and relationship with other groups
Furthermore, the act of IU, Comuns, Más Madrid, and Movimiento Sumar arrives marked by the shared objective of achieving in Congress the approval of the rent extension, despite the tension with Junts having increased after the clash with the second vice president, Yolanda Díaz.
In this regard, clear messages are expected, especially from Bustinduy, who has helped to lower the tone by referring to "decibels" that he considers normal among formations on the eve of relevant votes.
Throughout this week, Sumar has communicated that it held meetings and telephone contacts last Wednesday and Thursday with the groups in Congress, with the exception of the PP, which rejects this offer of dialogue.