Irene Montero takes a decisive step this Saturday towards the general elections of 2027. The MEP and political secretary of Podemos will present in Madrid the foundations of her candidacy for the presidency of the Government with the intention of leading a leftist space that goes beyond the purple formation, although there is still no closed agreement on the parties that would integrate it.
The event, planned under the slogan “Peace, home, work”, will serve to turn into an electoral project an aspiration that Montero had made public more than a year ago. Ione Belarra already asked her in April 2025 to lead the Podemos candidacy for the next general elections. Now, the former Minister of Equality wants to present herself as an alternative capable of rebuilding a space situated to the left of the PSOE.
The fundamental question, however, remains unanswered: who will she run with? Podemos talks about a candidacy “as broad as possible,” but maintains its veto against Movimiento Sumar and, at the same time, has been exploring a political rapprochement with Gabriel Rufián and other sectors of the left for months.
Housing: that rent does not eat up the salary
The first major axis will be housing, one of the main problems that Podemos intends to place at the center of the campaign.
The formation proposes to intervene more intensively in the market to achieve “fair prices” in rent and prevent the payment for housing from absorbing a disproportionate part of families' income. Among the proposals put forward is to deepen the regulation of prices, an issue that Podemos has made one of its main pressure points on the PSOE throughout the entire legislature.
The strategy also connects with the slogan chosen to launch the candidacy: “home” as one of the three elements that Podemos considers basic to regain leftist voters.
Minimum wage of 1,800 euros and working less
The second block will focus on employment and wages. Montero will advocate a new reduction of the working day without loss of salary and proposes to progressively raise the minimum wage to 1,800 euros.
Podemos wants to present it as an additional step after the increases in the SMI and the labor reform developed in recent years, but with a more ambitious approach than that defended so far by the Government.
The candidacy will use the idea of “working less to live better” as one of its five main principles.
The first advances published before the act do not completely coincide on the exact objective of the reduction of working hours: some information points towards 35 hours a week, while RTVE collects an initial approach to move towards 37. The specifics will need to be fixed in the program that Montero will develop for the general elections.
Lower the cost of living
The third front will be purchasing power. Podemos aims to relate the rise in housing prices, food, and other basic goods to what it considers a growing concentration of wealth.
The candidacy promises measures to reduce the cost of living and recover purchasing power, although a complete electoral program with the specific fiscal or regulatory tools that would be used has not yet been presented.
This nuance is important: what Montero presents this Saturday are the main political axes of her candidacy, not yet a definitive program for the 2027 elections.
Less military spending and more money for public services
The term “peace” will probably be one of the elements that most differentiate Montero from the PSOE and other leftist forces.
Podemos rejects the increase in military spending and argues that a greater part of public resources should be allocated to healthcare, education, reconciliation policies, care, and the fight against gender-based violence and the climate emergency, instead of increasing the purchase of weapons.
International politics has become one of the main elements of identity for the purple formation in recent years, especially due to its positions on Gaza, Ukraine, NATO, and the increase in Defense spending.
Montero wants to convey that position to the campaign and present herself as the candidate of a space openly opposed to military escalation.
The climate emergency completes the five major priorities announced. Podemos wants to combine environmental policies with a social reading of the energy transition, arguing that the cost of measures should not primarily fall on workers and families.
In this way, the candidacy will be articulated around five concepts: affordable housing, reduction of working hours, improvement of purchasing power, peace, and climate action.
Is she running for Podemos?
Montero is the main political leader of Podemos after Ione Belarra and her candidacy arises from the party's structure. However, the formation has not yet confirmed that the ballot for the general elections will be presented exclusively under the initials of Podemos.
The declared objective is to build a broader candidacy.
This allows Podemos to launch its candidate without previously closing negotiations with possible allies. First, the leadership and the political project are presented; then the discussion about the initials, the lists, and the coalitions will come.
Gabriel Rufián appears in the equation
One of the names that has been repeated the most in recent months is that of the spokesperson for ERC in Congress, Gabriel Rufián.
Montero and Rufián have co-starred in joint events and have publicly defended the need to mobilize and regroup a left weakened electorally. Montero herself stated in the spring that teaming up with him seemed to her “a very good idea” and later defended that Podemos and ERC could help promote a broader political space.
That does not mean that there is an agreed joint candidacy.
ERC has not approved joining a state platform led by Montero, and any participation by Rufián would have to be resolved within his own party. For now, the approach is fundamentally political and strategic.
Podemos maintains the veto on Movimiento Sumar
The main obstacle to a single candidacy of the entire alternative left continues to be the relationship between Podemos and Movimiento Sumar.
Sources from Podemos consulted by EFE indicate that the veto on Yolanda Díaz's party is currently maintained, as a consequence of the deep confrontation opened since the creation of Sumar and the experience of the general elections of 2023.
The exclusion of Irene Montero from those lists was one of the episodes that ultimately broke the relationship between both spaces.
Podemos would end up leaving the parliamentary group of Sumar months later and moving to the Mixed Group.
Sumar, IU, Más Madrid, and Comuns prepare another candidacy
While Montero launches her project, Movimiento Sumar, Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, and the Comuns are working in parallel on building another candidacy for the general elections.
The four organizations intend to define their project, the electoral brand, and subsequently the person who will head the list during this autumn. For now, they keep the door open for other forces, including Podemos, to join.
The paradox is evident: both blocks claim to want a broad candidacy, but at this moment they are advancing separately.
The possibility of rebuilding a coalition similar to that of 2023 will depend on whether they can overcome political and personal disagreements that have been accumulating for years.
A campaign especially aimed at young people
Another differentiating element will be the electoral strategy. Podemos wants to especially exploit Montero's ability to reach young voters through social media.
The party highlights that the MEP has surpassed one million followers and considers that digital platforms will be one of the main arenas of political dispute against the growth of Vox and other far-right movements among younger voters.
This is not just about communication. Podemos wants to turn social media into a central campaign infrastructure to compensate for a territorial organization that is more weakened than it was during its early years.
The battle for leading the left begins before the elections
The general elections are scheduled for 2027, but the battle for organizing the space to the left of the PSOE has already begun.
Irene Montero starts with an advantage: Podemos already has a candidate while a good part of the rest of the space still has to decide who will lead its project. At the same time, she carries an evident difficulty: the party has lost territorial representation and currently has a parliamentary strength much lower than that achieved by Unidas Podemos in its best years.
The candidacy that Montero presents this Saturday precisely tries to reverse that situation.
Her strategy can be summarized in two movements: recover a left identity clearly differentiated from the PSOE and, at the same time, try to build around it a larger electoral alliance than Podemos.
The first is already defined. The second remains completely open. Rufián appears as a possible ally, Movimiento Sumar continues banned for now and Sumar, IU, Más Madrid and Comuns are preparing in parallel their own electoral project. The negotiations of the coming months will determine whether the general elections of 2027 arrive with a reunified alternative left or again divided into several ballots.