Irene Montero and Gabriel Rufián overflow their rally in Madrid with housing and the 11N strike as their banner: "We have to paralyze the country"

Espacio Delicias has become too small for Irene Montero and Gabriel Rufián. The Podemos candidate for President of the Government and the head of the list for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) for Barcelona gathered a crowd this Saturday in Madrid that overflowed the venue. During the event, there was talk of about 1,200 people who could not enter, an estimate that accompanied the images of the full house and the thanks from the stage.

The general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, came out to greet those who had been left outside. Montero and Rufián also thanked them for their presence and promised to return to Madrid together with space for more people. Inside, Metrika's music accompanied the arrival of the candidates, both dressed in yellow. Rufián joked about the coincidence and his role as Montero's "opening act" before getting into the political message.

The event has resumed the joint pre-campaign after the postponement due to the Urda train accident. It has also given continuity to the agreement between Podemos and ERC, which includes the incorporation of purple candidates into the republican lists in Catalonia and shared events outside of it. The objective that both have defended is to reach November 29 with enough strength to force the PSOE to apply left-wing policies, especially in housing, wages, and public services.

A PSOE "submissive" to its left

Rufián explained what he intends to achieve with this alliance. "I want a submissive PSOE Government," he stated, before pointing to the sovereignist forces and Podemos as those who should exert that pressure. He acknowledged that he would like a formation to the left of the socialists to be able to win the elections against them, but he placed his immediate objective on conditioning the decisions of the next Executive.

The Republican candidate has also directed his reproaches at the Broad Front, the candidacy led by Ada Colau. He has questioned that the project is limited to replacing Yolanda Díaz or changing the name of a political space. He has defended a collaboration between left-wing parties capable of demanding from the PSOE, while wishing good luck to all progressive forces running in the elections.

Montero has taken that discussion to the so-called useful vote. "The useful vote is the Socialist Party's way of devouring its left," she stated. The candidate has accused the PSOE of demanding support when elections arrive without having resolved problems such as rental prices during the legislature. Faced with that request, she has defended that citizens vote for those they believe will protect their interests.

The former minister has presented her alliance with ERC as a third option against a government of the PP and the far-right Vox or the continuity of the policies of the PSOE and the Broad Front. "That's why the left is needed," she insisted, linking the strength of Podemos to the possibility of lowering rents, intervening in prices, and raising wages.

Rufián has also defended his presence in Madrid against those who question a Catalan independentist's involvement in state politics. He has resorted to the memory of Lluís Companys and solidarity among peoples to vindicate this collaboration. Housing, employment, and the ability to make ends meet, he argued, affect people with different flags, languages, and origins.

A key against speculation

The ERC candidate showed a key to his house to explain the peace of mind that having a home provides. From that gesture, he spoke of those who lack that security and placed access to a home among the main reasons to vote. "One family, one home," he repeated, before rejecting that housing be used to get rich at the expense of those who need to live in it.

Rufián has criticized Junts for their votes on housing matters and has defended more taxes on wealth and large corporate profits. His intervention has linked both issues with a demand for distribution. Those who earn the most, he pointed out, must contribute more to the maintenance of public services.

Montero has accompanied this approach with her proposals to raise the minimum wage to 1,800 euros, reduce the working day and create a public food company. She has also called for recovering public control of strategic sectors and has invoked Article 128 of the Constitution to defend that the country's wealth serves the general interest.

The candidate has questioned that the discomfort over waiting lists, prices or the deterioration of education is directed against migrants, feminists or the LGTBI collective. She has blamed large companies and governments that protect their businesses, and has claimed social organization as a way to change these decisions.

Montero responds to Ayuso and calls for a strike

The general strike of November 11 has occupied a good part of Montero's speech. The candidate has defended the strike as a tool to achieve decent wages and make housing, food and energy cheaper. She has called for stopping production and consumption, and has pointed out that the protest also appeals to governments that have allowed the cost of living to rise.

That call has been accompanied by a response to the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, for her attacks against the mobilizations. "Ayuso is a mafia," Montero said. The candidate has denounced the management of residences during the pandemic, the commissions charged by the president's brother in the sale of masks, and the purchase of the 6.3 million euro penthouse with public money. Attendees responded with shouts of "Ayuso resignation."

The real estate operation she referred to was carried out by Planifica Madrid, the public company of the Community, which acquired the Chamberí property for 6.3 million euros. Montero has used it to contrast the use of public money with the needs of Madrid's healthcare and education. 

Public services have also connected the interventions of both candidates with railway accidents. Rufián has called for a comprehensive review of the system and massive investment in maintenance. He has criticized cuts and liberalization, and has focused on Adif's contracting of external companies, which he accuses of making essential safety tasks precarious.

Corruption has prompted another warning to the PSOE. Rufián has denounced that a part of the judicial, police, and media powers acts against the Government, but has rejected that this denunciation serves to evade responsibilities for cases affecting socialist leaders. He has again demanded exemplary behavior from the left, while Montero has criticized parties for reacting to corruption due to its possible electoral cost.

The republican candidate ended by wishing good luck to all left-wing parties and asking the public to remember who has defended their demands when they had the capacity to do so. "Vote progressive. And vote with memory."