The coordinator of Izquierda Unida (IU) in Andalusia, Toni Valero, has decided to run in the internal primaries of his party to be part of the Broad Front candidacy in the general elections on November 29. The deputy for Malaga takes the step as the new alliance negotiates its names and lists, and as Adelante Andalucía has already announced that it will run separately in all eight provinces.
Valero has led the Andalusian federation of IU since 2019, when he replaced Antonio Maíllo, now federal coordinator. According to sources from his team cited by Europa Press, he has support within Andalusia and from other federations of the organization. His candidacy seeks to give weight to IU in a Broad Front which also includes the Comuns, Más Madrid, and Movimiento Sumar. For now, he aims to pass his party's internal process. The definitive positions will have to be agreed upon later among the forces of the alliance.
The dispute over lists reaches Andalusia
The move comes amid negotiations over the leadership of the Broad Front. Maíllo considered this Wednesday that Ada Colau would be a "magnificent candidate" for the Presidency of the Government, although IU has warned that the names and the way to choose them must be part of a shared agreement. Más Madrid has proposed the former mayor of Barcelona to lead the project from that province and aspires, in turn, to lead the list for Madrid. Podemos maintains its demand for open primaries to consider a joint candidacy.
In Andalusia, IU wants to assert an implantation that goes beyond its deputies in Congress. Valero, a History professor before arriving at the Lower House in 2023, leads the largest territorial federation of the formation. For Andalusia, the coalition in which IU participates, obtained five seats in the regional elections in May. Adelante Andalucía achieved eight and more than 400,000 votes, a result with which José Ignacio García now defends taking his project to Congress. Those were different elections and their votes do not allow anticipating the result of 29N, but they show that both candidacies have support in the community.
One less seat and several ballots to the left of the PSOE
The concern about division has a concrete electoral basis. In the 2023 general elections, the PSOE won 21 Andalusian deputies and Sumar, six, compared to 25 for the PP and nine for Vox. On 29N, Andalusia will elect 60 deputies, one less than then, because Cádiz goes from nine representatives to eight. The seats are distributed by provinces, so competition between close candidacies can be decisive where each one disputes the last position.
Internal sources from the Sumar space consulted by 'ElConstitucional.es' place their concern especially in Cádiz, Málaga, and Seville. They consider that an Adelante candidacy throughout Andalusia could make it difficult for the Broad Front to retain the six seats obtained by Sumar three years ago and reduce the options of the left as a whole against the PP and Vox. This is the assessment of these sources, still without a public electoral projection that allows putting figures to the possible losses.
Adelante claims its own Andalusian voice. García announced last Saturday that her party will run in all eight provinces, while Por Andalucía has asked her to reconsider a decision that, in their opinion, weakens the possibilities of change. To this separation could be added that of Podemos if talks to integrate it into the Broad Front fail. The deadline to register coalitions ends on October 16.
