The lists of Frente Amplio for the general elections on 29N show a far-reaching renewal compared to the candidacies presented by Sumar in 2023, since, of the deputies who then won a seat, only 10 repeat in lists that reorder a good part of this political space.
The coalition places as main references the candidate for the Presidency of the Government, Ada Colau, and the head of the list for Madrid, the Más Madrid leader Emilio Delgado, in a candidacy that combines renewal profiles with others of parliamentary and political experience.
In this new configuration, the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, is the only minister from the minority wing of the Executive who appears on the lists, as number two for the province of Barcelona.
Government departures and partial continuity in Congress
Among the most relevant absences are the second vice-president, Yolanda Díaz, candidate in 2023, as well as the Minister of Health, Mónica García. Also not part of the candidacy are the Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, nor the Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, who serves as campaign spokesperson for Frente Amplio.
The Sumar candidacy obtained 31 deputies, although the plurinational group was reduced to 27 after the breakup with Podemos at the state level. During the recently ended legislature, moreover, several resignations allowed candidates in more lagging positions on the lists to access a seat.
The names that repeat in Madrid and in other constituencies
Among those who do continue in the candidacies are the spokesperson of the plurinational group and general coordinator of Movimiento Sumar, Verónica Barbero, the deputy of Más Madrid Tesh Sidi and the leader of IU Toni Valero, who occupy the second, third and fourth positions for Madrid.
Also attempting to revalidate their seats are Esther Gil de Reboleño, who again heads the list for Cádiz; Lander Martínez, leading the candidacy for Vizcaya, and the general secretary of the PCE, Enrique Santiago, number one for Seville.
In the Valencian bloc, Àgueda Micó and Alberto Ibáñez are again vying for a seat, although the former ended up leaving the Sumar group to join the Mixed Group. In their case, the aspiration is for the Compromís-Frente Valenciano candidacy to achieve its own group and, if it does not succeed, they will talk with their electoral partners.
Relief in Comuns, Galicia, Asturias and Murcia
In the case of Comuns, Júlia Boada and Viviane Ogou repeat on the Frente Amplio lists. In contrast, Félix Alonso, Eloi Badia, the coordinator of the party Candela López, and co-spokespersons Gerardo Pisarello and Aina Vidal are out of the Congress candidacy compared to 2023. Their departure generated internal discomfort and resulted in nearly 30% of votes against the endorsement of the lists in the highest governing body.
Diplomat Agustín Santos, who was Yolanda Díaz's number two in Madrid in the previous elections, also leaves the lists.
Among the parliamentarians who will not repeat are Rafael Cofiño, Txema Guijarro, Francisco Sierra, Carlos Martín, and Manolo Lago, who were Sumar's quota in 2023, as well as Nahuel González and Engracia Rivera, from IU's quota, and Alda Recas, linked to Más Madrid.
In the Balearic Islands, parliamentarian Vicenç Vidal does not repeat and cedes the spotlight to Carmen Gomila, the new electoral reference for Ara Més. In Aragon, the president of the Chunta Aragonesista, Jorge Pueyo, steps aside as head of the list for Zaragoza for LGTBi rights activist Marina Rodríguez, while deputy Laura Vergara also leaves the lists.
In Galicia, where Sumar and Podemos obtained seats in 2023, the renewal is notable, with the former mayor of A Pobra do Caramiñal Xosé Lois Piñeiro and the leader of Sumar in Vigo, Gloria Alonso, as heads of the lists for A Coruña and Pontevedra, respectively.
In Asturias, IU will head the constituency with Antonio González Ponte, while in Murcia, the regional coordinator of the party, Penélope Luna, will do so.
IU gains weight in several Andalusian provinces
In Andalusia, the candidacy incorporates former leaders of Podemos, such as José Miguel Ramos, former head of the party in Almería, who occupies the fifth position for that province, and Raquel Martínez, former regional coordinator of the purple party, placed as number four for Málaga.
In addition, the leadership of IU is strengthened in several provinces, with lawyer and activist of the Flotilla rumbo a Gaza, Rafael Borrego, as head of the list for Málaga; Sebastián Pérez, provincial leader of the party, in Córdoba; and the councilor of Huétor, Jesús Fernández, leading the candidacy for Granada.
Barcelona, Canary Islands and symbolic closures in Madrid
In Barcelona, along with Ada Colau and Ernest Urtasun, Júlia Miralles appears as number three, Andrés García Berrio as four, Lucía Martín as five, and Joan Mena as six, the latter with parliamentary experience in the 2019 to 2023 legislature. Viviane Ogou occupies the seventh position, further behind, while Júlia Boada heads the list for Girona.
In the constituency of Las Palmas, within the coalition with Frente Amplio and Podemos, the candidacy is presented under the brand Unión del Pueblo Canario, with the leader of Nueva Canarias Luis Campos at the helm.
The Madrid list also includes a symbolic closing with painter and sculptor Antonio López and historical environmental leader Inés Sabanés, who will occupy the last positions of the candidacy for Congress for the general elections on 29N.