Rufián attacks Pablo Iglesias for attacking Urtasun and warns the left that "whoever doesn't want to unite, should step aside"

The spokesperson for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, burst into the battle for the future of the alternative left this Friday with a message addressed to Pablo Iglesias. After the former leader of Podemos questioned Ernest Urtasun's electoral possibilities, Rufián asked to put aside pending issues and warned that "whoever does not want to unite, should step aside".

The response comes after the extensive thread published on Thursday by Iglesias, in which he defended the open primaries proposed by Irene Montero and ruled out that Urtasun could stop a concentration of the progressive vote around the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez. The former vice president believes that the Minister of Culture "could well be part of a PSC list" and doubts his ability to mark a sufficiently differentiated position from the PSOE.

Iglesias maintains that the strategy followed by the Sumar parties within the Government has allowed Sánchez to appropriate a good part of the progressive credit. In a scenario with several candidacies competing for the same electorate, he believes that Urtasun would have difficulties avoiding the useful vote towards the socialists and presents Montero as "the strongest leadership of the left" once a state candidacy for Rufián has been ruled out.

The ERC leader responded without directly mentioning Iglesias, although the recipient is evident. "It is worth remembering again that the best way to blow up the right is not to blow up other lefts," he wrote. Rufián admitted that all organizations accumulate "bills and a desire to criticize," but believes that airing them now only contributes to deteriorating any attempt at agreement.

"Whoever can unite, let them unite. And whoever cannot, let them step aside," he concluded. His message connects with the proposal he has been defending for months to coordinate state and sovereign left-wing parties against a possible majority of the Popular Party and the far-right Vox. Rufián has recently limited his possible candidacy to Catalonia, although he maintains his willingness to participate in events and negotiations that allow for agreements in other territories.

Also, the former general secretary of Podemos in Madrid, Ramón Espinar, has reprimanded Iglesias for the harshness of his words. "Before starting, Iglesias hit Urtasun with a blow that none of us gave Irene out of elegance and not to ruin the slightest glimmer of hope that left-wing people might have," he wrote on 'X'.

Montero forces a debate that Sumar wanted to postpone

The public fight erupted just six days after the MEP and number two of Podemos, Irene Montero, announced her willingness to lead a candidacy in the next general elections. The former Minister of Equality proposed open primaries in which people outside Podemos could vote and compete, a formula that allows her to arrive at any negotiation with a candidate and method on the table.

Movimiento Sumar, Izquierda Unida (IU), Más Madrid, and the Comuns have been working for about a year on their own project under the provisional name 'Un paso al frente' (A Step Forward). The four organizations want to first agree on the program, structure, and territorial distribution before choosing the leadership. Montero's proposal alters that order and places Podemos at the center of a conversation from which it had remained outside.

The leadership of Movimiento Sumar has received the movement with caution. Its co-coordinator Verónica Martínez Barbero maintains that before discussing primaries, there must be a real will for agreement among the parties. The formation rejects Podemos unilaterally setting the rules and maintains its intention to reach a consensus on the candidate during the autumn.

Internal differences had already been reported by 'ElConstitucional.es'. Sources from the space indicated that IU is wary of an operation led by Podemos after the accumulated confrontations over recent years. Antonio Maíllo has ruled out leading the candidacy, and his organization will hold its own primaries before seeking an agreement with its allies.

Más Madrid also does not want to share the capital's ballot with Montero and is working for Emilio Delgado to occupy the first position for Madrid. The Comuns have shown a more open attitude. Their spokesperson in Congress, Aina Vidal, celebrated that Podemos wants to move towards a unitary candidacy and confirmed that they maintain channels of dialogue with the purples.

The dispute encompasses much more than the candidate's name. Podemos demands a left with greater autonomy and confrontation against the PSOE, while the Sumar parties defend the advances obtained through their presence in the Government. To this strategic difference is added the distribution of the lists, where each organization tries to protect its implementation and its main leaders.

Urtasun and Colau continue in a race without a favorite

Amid these tensions, Ernest Urtasun has spoken this week for the first time with some clarity about his electoral future. The Minister of Culture and spokesperson for Sumar has assured on 'Catalunya Ràdio' that his Comuns colleagues "know they can count" on him and that he will assume "the role" they decide.

His words have reactivated a possibility that this newspaper has been reporting since July. Internal sources then placed Urtasun as the favorite profile to lead the new candidacy after Pablo Bustinduy's refusal. His membership in the Comuns and Movimiento Sumar, his European experience, and his presence in the Council of Ministers facilitated an agreement between the different families.

The decision remains open. Sources close to him have ruled out that he intends to lead the state candidacy and limit his willingness to be part of the Comuns' list for Barcelona. Within Sumar, however, some leaders interpret his latest words as a way to avoid another discard and keep his name available.

Ada Colau thas also returned to the pools. The former mayor of Barcelona stated this week on 'Cafè d'idees', on RTVE, that she could consider returning to the front line if at some point she were "especially useful". Sources from the Comuns have confirmed that they already proposed her to lead the candidacy and that she rejected the offer, although her public openness has prevented that path from being definitively closed.

The list of alternatives has been shrinking. Bustinduy insists that he will participate as a "team player," but maintains his refusal to be a candidate. Maíllo also does not want to lead the space, and Rufián has circumscribed his electoral plans to Catalonia. Urtasun and Colau remain available to varying degrees, while Montero has already begun her pre-campaign.

The latest barometer from the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) placed Sumar at 5.7% and Podemos at 3.7%. The arithmetic sum is 9.4%, below the 12.3% and 31 deputies obtained jointly in 2023. Running separately would aggravate the problem in small and medium provinces, where the distribution of seats punishes the division of votes with particular harshness.

The four organizations of 'Un paso al frente' are working with October as a probable date to present their structure, their first rules, and the electoral brand. By then they will have to clarify Urtasun's future, resolve Colau's role, and decide whether to negotiate a state candidacy with Podemos or different agreements in each constituency.