Ada Colau receives with frustration the rapprochement between Gabriel Rufián and Podemos. Sources from the Broad Front consulted by ‘ElConstitucional.es’ describe the former mayor of Barcelona as disappointed and with a feeling of betrayal due to movements that, according to her account, have advanced behind her back while she was trying to gather the different left-wing forces into a shared candidacy.
The discomfort comes after Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) confirmed this Sunday that Rufián will once again lead their list for the general elections on November 29. In parallel, the republicans and Podemos are negotiating an electoral collaboration in Catalonia that would allow the ERC spokesperson to also participate in Irene Montero's campaign outside that territory. Rufián's candidacy is confirmed; the agreement between the two organizations still needs to be finalized.
The consulted sources maintain the forecast that Colau's candidacy could be presented this Monday, October 12, although conversations continue and the announcement is still pending on how they evolve. The anger with Rufián coexists with the will to reach an understanding that incorporates Podemos, at least in the rest of Spain. At this hour on Sunday, these interlocutors still see possibilities of achieving it.
The disappointment is also understood by what happened in recent days. As this newspaper published on Saturday, the Broad Front had Colau's candidacy ready, but was waiting for Rufián's decision before announcing her leadership. Sources from the space then explained that the former mayor was willing to step aside if he joined the project. On Friday, she had publicly invited him again and called for the presence of Podemos.
The Catalan agreement changes the negotiation
The possible understanding between ERC and Podemos opens a different path to the state candidacy promoted by the Comuns, Izquierda Unida, Movimiento Sumar, and Más Madrid. Podemos would stop competing with ERC in Catalonia and Rufián would support Montero outside of it, according to information known this Sunday. The cooperation between both would allow concentrating support in the Catalan constituencies, but by itself leaves the division of the left in the rest of the country unresolved.
'ElConstitucional.es' has reported this afternoon, based on sources familiar with the conversations, that a shared candidacy in the four Catalan provinces and Rufián's presence in Podemos's state campaign are being studied. For its part, 'infoLibre' places on the table the incorporation of at least one person from Podemos in a position with chances of a seat on the republican list, while Montero would maintain her candidacy for Madrid.
The format, however, remains open. Sources from the ERC leadership deny that they are negotiating a coalition and propose the rapprochement based on Podemos not presenting a candidacy in Catalonia. From Podem Catalunya, they emphasize that nothing is closed yet and that their primaries continue. This difference between the versions forces both the electoral formula and the distribution of positions to remain pending.
In the Broad Front, the sources consulted by this newspaper convey a feeling of having been used during the conversations with Rufián. They expected his intervention to help bring organizations together and consider that the bilateral approach with Podemos alters that work. This is the assessment of these interlocutors, who maintain their commitment to continue negotiating despite the deterioration of trust.
The reading from Rufián's circle is different. His associates defend cooperation between the sovereignist left and progressive forces across Spain to improve electoral results. They maintain that their goal was never to replace Yolanda Díaz and keep open the possibility of collaborating with other organizations.
Colau maintains support for leadership and Madrid remains pending agreement
The Catalan operation also complicates Podemos's decisions in the rest of Spain. The Broad Front sources consulted by 'ElConstitucional.es' describe uncertainty within the purple party about what to do in other provinces and whether to run together with the Broad Front. This account comes from the space's interlocutors and does not constitute a decision communicated by Podemos, which publicly maintains open primaries as a condition for a common candidacy.
Madrid continues to be one of the most difficult negotiations. Más Madrid proposed this Sunday that Emilio Delgado lead the list and Mónica García occupy the second position, with the possibility of incorporating Izquierda Unida, Movimiento Sumar, and Podemos. The proposal reserves the first two positions for leaders of the Madrid organization, so it still needs to be agreed upon what place each ally would have and how Irene Montero would fit in if she were to join.
Colau, meanwhile, retains the support of Izquierda Unida. Antonio Maíllo's party reaffirmed this afternoon its support for the former mayor as a candidate and called on the other parties to be responsible in expanding the agreement. "Ada Colau has the full support of Izquierda Unida to face this task," it said in a statement.
The sources conveying Colau's discomfort insist that there is still hope of bringing all forces together in the rest of Spain, although they describe an atmosphere of great tension. The former mayor had linked her availability to a broad candidacy and has been defending the incorporation of Podemos for days, precisely the organization whose possible agreement with ERC has now opened another negotiation.
The margin to resolve it is short. Podemos maintains the voting for its primaries for October 14 and 15, and the deadline to register electoral coalitions ends on Friday the 16th. The Broad Front must specify before then which parties will run together, while continuing to negotiate leadership and lists for 29N.
