Gabriel Rufián vindicates with Montero his alliance to "subdue the PSOE" and stands up to Junts, the PSOE and the Broad Front: "We are the front"

Gabriel Rufián defended this Saturday his alliance with Irene Montero with a claim addressed both to the PSOE and to those who question their collaboration from the independence movement. "We are the front", proclaimed the ERC candidate for Congress in the first shared pre-campaign rally with the Podemos candidate, held in Barcelona. Housing and the need to strengthen the left to demand changes from the socialists have permeated the meeting.

The Plaça Major de Nou Barris was filled to welcome both leaders amidst shouts of "Yes we can". On a stage without party logos, and with Oriol Junqueras among the attendees, Montero and Rufián presented a cooperation that aims to connect social demands with the ability to decide in Congress. There was also space for complicity and irony about their respective organizations, with a joke from Rufián about how much each one commands in their party.

"I want a subdued PSOE government", stated the republican, who brought back Julio Anguita to explain his proposed relationship with the socialists. His objective is for the forces to his left to have enough parliamentary weight to force them to act on rents, wages, and public services. Faced with the request to concentrate the vote on the PSC, Rufián defended strengthening those who can condition their decisions after 29N.

The chosen location allows for measuring the challenge. The PSC obtained 43.5% of the votes in Nou Barris in the 2023 general elections, ahead of Sumar's 16.3% and ERC's 8.7%; abstention was 38.3%. The event is aimed at a popular electorate that has largely supported the socialists, but also at those who have stayed away from the polls. For Rufián, broadening that base requires talking about the difficulties of living in the neighborhood, in addition to national identity.

Rufián responds to Junts from housing and the defense of a plural Catalonia

The Republican candidate has questioned that the defense of Catalonia can be separated from the interests of its workers. "What's the use of speaking Catalan very well and displaying the estelada if you then vote with PP and Vox against the working class?", he asked to applause. The reproach comes on the same day that Míriam Nogueras has vindicated Junts as the only party of "strictly Catalan" obedience and has criticized the collaboration between ERC and Podemos.

The dispute has a recent parliamentary precedent. Junts voted alongside PP and Vox against the two housing decrees that Congress rejected on October 2, with measures on rents, protection against evictions, and limits on speculative purchases. Carles Puigdemont's party then argued that these rules would reduce supply and make access to a home more difficult. Rufián places these votes at the center of his criticism of Junts' social priorities.

He has also responded to independentist sectors that ask him to concentrate exclusively on Catalan politics. Given the advance of the far-right, he has questioned whether Catalonia can remain outside of what happens in the rest of Spain. "What magic and what irresponsibility are you selling?", he launched. Among references to Francesc Macià and Lluís Companys, he has defended that "there is no correct way to be Catalan" and has vindicated a political community united by freedom and social justice.

"I don't want to govern Spain, but I do want Spain to be governed well", he explained. This distinction underpins his shared campaign with Montero, who aspires to the Presidency of the Government, while he once again heads the ERC candidacy for Barcelona.

"Don't screw with me about housing" concentrates the demand for changes

Rufián has raised his tone by demanding that real estate speculation be prohibited. He has urged those who want to get rich to do so by buying paintings or wines, before finishing with a "don't screw with me about housing". During the meeting, both candidates have summarized citizens' concerns as "housing, housing and housing" and have defended the slogan of one family and one home, along with expropriation measures against vulture funds.

Montero opened her speech with a response to Feijóo for his plans to integrate Equality into another ministry and reopen the debate on abortion for 16 and 17-year-old women. "Voting for the PP is voting for machismo and violence", she stated. The MEP has defended that women's rights and care work should be part of the discussion on living conditions, along with healthcare, education, and access to a home.

The Podemos candidate has proposed raising the minimum wage to 1,800 euros, reducing working hours, and increasing taxes on those who concentrate wealth. She has also reproached the PSOE for limiting itself to "tweeting very loudly against those at the top" and has questioned a left too similar to the socialists and willing to integrate into their ballots. The Broad Front's agreement with the PSOE for the Senate provides context for this criticism about how much room each force will have to demand its own measures.

The collaboration between ERC and Podemos is materialized in the support of the purples for the republican candidacies in Catalonia and in shared events of their leaders, while the Broad Front will run separately. The joint campaign foresees meetings outside Catalonia, including Madrid and Seville. Rufián will also maintain his support for EH Bildu and the BNG in their respective territories, in accordance with ERC's ties with both formations.