Ione Belarra invites Ada Colau to open primaries and extends a hand to Rufián: "We would love to team up"

Ione Belarra proposes to resolve the leadership of the left in open primaries for the general elections on November 29. The general secretary of Podemos invited this Thursday on 'Malas Lenguas', on La 2, Ada Colau and the rest of possible aspirants to participate and reiterated her willingness to collaborate with Gabriel Rufián. "We would love to team up with Gabriel," she stated in the midst of negotiations between the forces seeking to run together in the elections.

The leader has asked to move away from a discussion about names and alliances that she considers exhausting for citizens. "It even makes me lazy", she responded when hearing the proposals of other organizations. "We are not going to agree at a table", she pointed out, before defending that it should be the voters who choose their representatives to confront housing speculation, the advance of the far-right, and the loss of rights.

Primaries to break the "loop"

Belarra has ratified her preference for Irene Montero, but has invited the other formations to defend their proposals in an open vote. When explaining this procedure, she mentioned Mónica García, Ada Colau, and Toni Valero as the names that, according to her, Más Madrid, Comuns, and Izquierda Unida support. "I think that my organization's candidate is the best, which is Irene Montero", she affirmed, insisting that the choice must be left in the hands of the citizens.

The leader of Podemos believes that the primaries would allow differences to be resolved without prolonging the confrontation between the leaderships. She used the example of the PSOE to ask if Pedro Sánchez should be a candidate if he could not win an internal vote. Whoever aspires to lead the left's candidacy must be able to obtain that support, she defended, reclaiming the demands for participation promoted by 15M.

Asked if Podemos would run separately when the other organizations do not accept the primaries, Belarra has transferred the question to her interlocutors. "Why would we be against people choosing the best team? What is the argument?", she asked. Her answer maintains the demand for an open vote, without confirming Podemos' entry into the broad front or announcing a solo candidacy.

The intervention comes after Colau has expressed her willingness to lead an alliance that incorporates all alternative left. "If we are all in, I will be too", said the former mayor of Barcelona this morning. In addition to the leadership, the distribution of the lists is still pending, especially in Madrid, where Más Madrid's aspirations condition Montero's fit.

Podemos maintains its call for October 14 and 15. Belarra has encouraged people to register this weekend and has presented the primaries as the way to unblock unity. The negotiation thus affects both who will lead the candidacy and the ability of each organization to intervene in its election.

"We would love to team up with Gabriel"

Belarra has again expressed her interest in collaborating with Gabriel Rufián, spokesperson for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) in Congress. She considers him "an asset for the left of the entire State", with a political capacity that transcends Catalonia. The offer keeps open one of the possibilities being discussed while the parties try to agree on how to face 29N.

The leader has accompanied this proposal with a recognition of Esquerra and her "very deep" respect for the party. She recalled the shared work with ERC and EH Bildu during the previous legislature and has vindicated the plurinational and progressive majority that allowed agreements to be reached. Faced with the differences within the republican organization, she pointed out that it is up to its members to resolve them.

Rufián clarified this Thursday that he wants to continue representing Esquerra, although he demands conditions to face the next stage and collaborate with other forces. "I want to represent Esquerra Republicana", he wrote on X, where he also defended doing so "accompanied by other left-wing and anti-fascist forces". The president of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, maintains his commitment to him leading the republican candidacy.

As this newspaper has published, sources from the broad front confirm that contacts with Rufián have intensified and that he maintains frequent communication with Colau and Montero. The conversations still do not translate into an electoral agreement and the deputy has not announced that he will leave ERC.

Belarra has also demanded that the negotiation include the program and the conditions for governing. She has criticized Sumar's actions within the Executive and has vindicated Irene Montero's management in Equality. For a new agreement with the PSOE, she demands to reverse rearmament and stop real estate speculation. "The way to stop the far-right is with more rights", she defended, attributing the advance of PP and Vox to the Government's lack of responses to everyday problems.

During the interview, she announced that she was heading to the tribute to Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman who died after being evicted in Madrid. "Today people are still being thrown out of their homes when their rent goes up", she denounced, demanding that housing occupy the center of political discussion. "There are evictions in this country and we are talking about this."