Gabriel Rufián keeps his decision open regarding the general elections on November 29 and continues to advocate for collaboration between left-wing parties to prevent a PP and Vox government. The spokesperson for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) in Congress is listening to the different forces and setting conditions to repeat as his party's candidate, according to close sources consulted by EFE. The call announced this Monday by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, accelerates a debate that has been trying to get out of the offices for months.
The position conveyed by his close associates combines two objectives. On the one hand, to maintain the commitment to a province-by-province confluence, with the participation of sovereignist and state left-wing parties. On the other hand, to have working conditions and influence in ERC's strategy if he again leads their candidacy. His inner circle warns EFE that, if this minimum is not respected, "he will go home". This is a warning transmitted by these sources, while he has not yet announced what role he will assume.
The messages collected by 'Cadena SER' and 'laSexta' agree that he is reflecting and listening. His close associates consider the early election "hasty and irresponsible" because "the numbers don't add up" and demand generosity to respond to the risk of a right-wing and far-right majority. "He has never left a battle unfought," they tell SER, although they emphasize that the conditions for facing it are more important than ever. This diagnosis expresses his assessment of the electoral scenario, the result of which will be decided at the polls.
A province-by-province union
Rufián's formula seeks to leverage the strength of each organization in its territory and prevent competition between progressive candidacies from facilitating seats for PP and the far-right Vox. Congress is elected by provincial constituencies, so both the volume of votes and their distribution matter. Such an agreement would require negotiating where to run together, who heads the lists, and how to preserve the representation of the different forces; all these aspects remain pending.
His initiative has a public trajectory. In February, he shared an event in Madrid with Emilio Delgado, regional deputy for Más Madrid; in April, he debated in Barcelona with MEP and former Minister of Equality Irene Montero, from Podemos; and in June, he took that conversation to Valencia alongside former Valencian vice-president Mónica Oltra. The meetings have served to open the debate among sensibilities that today need to negotiate with the electoral calendar upon them, although they have not resulted in a closed coalition.
The rapport with Montero is part of that trajectory. Both defended in April that ERC and Podemos should promote the union of the lefts and, in May, Rufián described her in 'Cara al Show', on 'laSexta', as "president of whatever she wants". It is a public political endorsement that helps explain their proximity, but it does not equate to an electoral agreement for 29N nor a decision on who should lead it.
On September 27, on 'Salvados', he returned to that possibility. He left open a collaboration between ERC and Podemos in Catalonia, as well as reciprocal agreements to avoid competing for the same electorate, but explained that he did not see himself in a candidacy outside Catalonia. He also rejected that the solution consisted of taking the lead and expecting others to follow. His call for understanding was resounding. "If Sumar, Podemos and the mother who bore us don't agree, we deserve to be swept away," he stated.
El mantra de la unidad de la izquierda: "si no nos ponemos de acuerdo, merecemos que nos arrasen"
— Salvados (@salvadostv) September 24, 2026
Domingo 27 (21.30h), cinco votantes de izquierdas ponen a @gabrielrufian ante el espejo. pic.twitter.com/FUgpSvECi7
The early election turns those conversations into an urgent negotiation. Movimiento Sumar, Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, and Comuns are working on the Frente Amplio, whose presentation is scheduled for October 17. Montero has proposed open primaries on October 14 and 15 to choose a shared candidacy. The participation of Podemos and the leadership of the space remain undecided, while the sovereignist forces maintain their own strategies.
The conditions to remain in ERC
The ERC leadership wants Rufián to repeat. Its general secretary, Elisenda Alamany, defined him this Monday as "the best asset we have for this election" and announced the start of the internal process. She also ruled out that the party president, Oriol Junqueras, aspires to lead the list for Congress, because his goal is to be a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat.
This support coexists with the strategic differences that have become visible in recent months. ERC maintains its intention to run under its own acronym, while Rufián insists on seeking broader collaboration. In 'Salvados' he admitted having thought about leaving the party and politics. Now his close associates place his continuity on the conditions for working and participating in decisions, without announcing a move to another formation.
The discussion has immediate deadlines. Aspirants to head the republican lists must collect endorsements equivalent to 5% of the membership, about 400 supports, from this Tuesday until Sunday, October 11. If only one candidacy is presented, it will be directly designated; if there is more than one, there will be a vote. ERC expects to have its lists approved on October 17.
Before the election call, Rufián had already asked Sánchez for "a cool head" after the rejection of the housing decrees. On Friday, he warned that many left-wing voters did not want to support the PSOE and could not find an alternative that convinced them. In 'Salvados' he had also placed housing as a threat to the entire progressive space and demanded measures against speculation. This Monday, he shared on Instagram a fragment of a previous speech in which he expressed his rejection of a Feijóo and Abascal Executive and the social suffering that, in his opinion, it would bring.
