The former mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, stated this Thursday that she is willing to lead the Frente Amplio as long as the candidacy "adds many more people" and, specifically, incorporates Podemos, Compromís, the Chunta Aragonesista or Més. "If we are all there, I will be there too," she affirmed in statements to TVE.
Colau's words come a day after Más Madrid proposed her as the head of the new Frente Amplio list and number one for Barcelona, pending the closing of a global agreement with the rest of the coalition parties, among which are Izquierda Unida (IU), Movimiento Sumar and the comunes.
"A single ballot" to the left of the PSOE
The former mayor has defended that there must be "a single ballot" to the left of the PSOE and has called on the implicated formations to act with "generosity" and "courage" so that the Frente Amplio becomes "a reality" and does not remain a simple brand.
"Citizens are asking for a reaction and for the left to organize itself for a clear, consensus and unity proposal, so that there is no more than one ballot," insisted Colau, who stressed that the political moment demands a joint and visible response.
The leader of the comunes said she felt "honored" that her name had been put forward as a candidate, although she asked to now concentrate efforts on building "a truly broad front" that "transcends" what has been done so far.
Negotiations in the hands of the leaderships
Colau explained that the conversations to close the candidacy are being carried out by the party leaderships and that she does not participate directly in those negotiations. However, she confirmed that in recent days she has spoken with the leader of Más Madrid, Mónica García, with the number two of Podemos, Irene Montero, and with the federal coordinator of IU, Antonio Maíllo.
The former mayor asked for "patience" and called for negotiating "sitting at a table and with a constructive spirit," without "leaks" or through the media. In that context, she considered it "secondary" whether she runs for Barcelona or another constituency, because, as she defended, "the important thing is that we are all there" and that each person is placed "where they are most useful."
Support for the housing mobilization after the Maricarmen case
At another point in her statements, Colau expressed "pain and anger" over the death of Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction marked "a before and after" by driving housing protests in Spain a few days ago.
The former mayor called to "continue her struggle," which, she said, involves supporting demonstrations and going on general strike, and pointed out that her case, like that of Olga, a resident of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat who committed suicide after being evicted, "is not the exception, but the norm."
Colau also maintained that the housing crisis is "a failure of all institutions" and that this must be recognized in order to remedy it.
