Oriol Junqueras stated on Tuesday that Gabriel Rufián would “surely” be the candidate for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) in the general elections on November 29. Two days later, the party already has an alternative in motion. Jordi Albert, ERC’s deputy spokesperson in the Parliament and a leader close to Junqueras, has begun to collect endorsements while the current republican leader in Congress still has not clarified whether he will run again.
The leadership is studying what to do if negotiations with Rufián end in disagreement, as reported by ‘Público’. The spokesperson wants more capacity to decide who will accompany him on the candidacy and with what team he will work in Madrid. ERC maintains that the lists must follow the party’s internal procedure and undergo supervision by its bodies. Conversations remain open.
Albert announced this Thursday that he will begin to gather the necessary support to run for the top spot on the Barcelona list, as reported by ‘El Periódico’. His move allows ERC to have another name if Rufián decides not to run. Aspirants have until this Sunday to gather about 400 endorsements. If more than one candidacy runs, there will be primaries; the party expects to have its lists finalized by October 17.
The lists widen the distance with Junqueras
The disagreement goes beyond the name that will appear first on the ballot. Rufián wants leeway to choose his trusted people in Congress, where the relationship with part of the parliamentary group has deteriorated. The leadership reminds that candidacies also depend on territorial structures and party membership. The regulations also reserve to the party’s bodies the power to propose a part of the list members.
The clash has another political background. Rufián has been advocating for months for broad agreements among left-wing parties to prevent the vote from being split in the provinces, a strategy that ERC’s leadership has not adopted as its own electoral formula. Junqueras continues to publicly praise him as a candidate, but both maintain differences on the role the party should play in that convergence and on the autonomy of its spokesperson in Madrid.
Tensions had already surfaced within the group. Jordi Salvador and Pilar Vallugera, two of the seven deputies that ERC has had this legislature in Congress, have announced that they will not repeat. Salvador had warned in June that ERC was “neither a personal platform nor a space for ultimatums.” The republican spokesperson in the Senate, Sara Bailac, has also announced that she is leaving her seat.
Albert knows well the territorial organization that is now seeking support for the lists. He was a councilor in Sant Andreu de la Barca, presided over the ERC federation in Baix Llobregat for eight years, and has been a deputy in the Parliament since 2018. In the internal dispute of 2024, he backed Junqueras. His move comes as Teresa Jordà and Etna Estrems aspire to lead the candidacy for Girona, Norma Pujol is being considered for Tarragona, and Inés Granollers for Lleida.
Contacts with the Frente Amplio
Rufián's decision also affects negotiations on the alternative left. Sources from the Frente Amplio consulted by ‘ElConstitucional.es’ confirm that contacts with the republican spokesperson have intensified in recent days. According to information provided to this newspaper, Rufián maintains frequent communication with both Ada Colau and Irene Montero. For now, these conversations have not resulted in an electoral agreement.
Rufián has fueled the expectations of those who want to see him in a broader candidacy. On his X account, he has shared messages from users asking him to take the step to lead a confederal left. The deputy, however, continues to negotiate with ERC and has not announced that he will abandon his republican candidacy.
The Frente Amplio board is also moving. Más Madrid has proposed that Colau lead the coalition, but the former mayor has not yet accepted to head it. This Thursday, she expressed willingness to help “inside or outside” the lists and called for a single ballot to the left of the PSOE, including Podemos. Montero insists on holding open primaries, while the parties negotiate the distribution of candidacies, especially in Madrid.
Rufián has until Sunday to present his endorsements to ERC. Albert has already started that process. The republican leadership wants to announce the complete candidacy on October 17.
