The Frente Amplio has prepared the candidacy of Ada Colau for the general elections on November 29, but awaits Gabriel Rufián's decision before announcing who will lead the project. Internal sources of the space confirm exclusively to 'ElConstitucional.es' that the former mayor of Barcelona is the proposed candidate and that she would give way to the ERC spokesperson if he accepts to join. In that scenario, Rufián would be the candidate for the Presidency of the Government and would lead the alliance from Catalonia.
Colau's public offer this Friday on 'Más Vale Tarde', on laSexta, responds to that approach, according to the same sources. The leader wants Rufián to help bring together the forces to the left of the PSOE and is willing to facilitate his leadership. "There is room for everyone. I insist, there is prominence for everyone," she defended in the interview, in which she again demanded the presence of Podemos and Irene Montero.
The conversation comes after several days of contacts between Colau, Montero and Rufián, advanced by this newspaper. The availability of the former mayor allows a proposal to be prepared while trying to broaden the agreement, although the lists and conditions for the incorporation of those who remain outside are still pending. The consulted sources explain that this wait is the reason why Friday ended without the announcement from Colau that had been contemplated during the week.
Rufián's decision
Rufián maintains as a first option to represent ERC within a shared Catalan candidacy with other left-wing forces. According to sources from the Frente Amplio, his intention is to lead that confluence with the republicans within, a formula that is rejected by Oriol Junqueras. This discrepancy affects the political scope of the candidacy and the possibility that the spokesperson transfers his defense of unity to an electoral ballot.
The republican leader wrote his position on Thursday on X. "I want to represent Esquerra Republicana," he affirmed, before explaining that he tries to do so accompanied by other "left-wing and anti-fascist" forces because "this cannot be won alone." His message ended with a request to his own organization. "And I will try until the end. And hopefully ERC will also want it." So far, that statement keeps the negotiation with his party open.
ERC publicly maintains that Rufián remains their first option, although Jordi Albert, close to Junqueras and deputy spokesperson in the Parlament, is collecting endorsements to be part of the lists. 'La SER' has confirmed this movement, which does not yet amount to a designation as head of the candidacy. Sources from the Broad Front interpret that internal support for Rufián has weakened, a reading that coexists with the preference that the republican leadership continues to express in public.
The deadline to submit candidacies for the ERC process ends this Sunday, October 11, at 6:00 p.m. The consulted sources contemplate that, if Rufián does not present himself, he may withdraw from this electoral appointment or take the step to the Broad Front, without having announced any of these decisions. While his answer remains open, they do not foresee presenting Colau this Saturday, unless he confirms beforehand that he will run with ERC.
Irene Montero, Podemos, and the blockade of Madrid
The possible incorporation of Rufián can also facilitate understanding with Podemos. Sources from the space tell 'ElConstitucional.es' that the purples prefer his leadership to Colau's and would accept him leading the candidacy if he joins. This disposition is still part of the internal conversations and needs to be concretized in an agreement on the election procedure and the lists.
Podemos maintains its open primaries for October 14 and 15, with Irene Montero as the only known candidate as the process begins. The formation has also opened the possibility, reported this week by this newspaper, of agreeing on a joint candidacy and then submitting it for ratification. This formula allows negotiation without forcing the outcome to be a competition between Montero and the leaders of the other organizations.
Colau insists that the MEP must have a place in the project. "I take it for granted that Irene Montero must be there, I hope Gabriel Rufián and all left-wing formations too," she stated on Friday. The contacts between both leaders seek an agreement that incorporates Podemos with representation and decision-making capacity. The Comuns demand a global pact in which all forces feel recognized, while IU defends that candidacies be negotiated among partners.
Madrid continues to be one of the main obstacles. As 'ElConstitucional.es' has published, Más Madrid demands four of the first five positions and proposes Mónica García as head of the list, a demand that reduces the space available for Podemos and other organizations. The tension has spread to the election method. Tesh Sidi questioned open primaries on Friday "as if participatory democracy were done on TikTok", while the distribution of positions with a chance of obtaining a seat remains pending.
The seats at stake
The survey by 40dB. for 'El País' and 'Cadena SER', conducted on October 7 and 8 and published on Friday, shows the electoral cost of competing separately. Frente Amplio obtains 5.3% and Podemos 2.3%, with between seven and nine deputies between them. A joint candidacy would reach 9.5% and between fifteen and nineteen seats. Even with that improvement, the poll maintains the absolute majority of PP and the far-right Vox, and does not specifically measure a state candidacy headed by Rufián.
The expectation is also reflected in social media. The open consultation disseminated by statistician Alejandro Cencerrado exceeded 78,000 participations on Thursday and placed Rufián and Montero in the top positions. It is a voluntary vote that allows participation more than once, so its results lack electoral representativeness. Rufián has also shared the call for the event that Montero is holding this Saturday in Getafe under the slogan "Peace, home and work", a gesture of closeness that still needs to translate into an agreement.
Housing and the cost of living are the issues that organizations want to bring to the campaign while negotiating their candidacies. Verónica Martínez Barbero, co-leader of Movimiento Sumar, described Rufián on Friday as an "immense electoral asset", especially for his influence among young people, and demanded the incorporation of Podemos. Her election with 98% of the base votes corresponds to the representation of her party within the alliance. IU is developing its own process, to which Toni Valero has presented himself, while common leadership remains pending.
The agreement must also resolve the territorial fit, with open conversations with Compromís, Més and Chunta Aragonesista, among other forces. Friday, October 16, is the deadline to communicate electoral coalitions, one day after Podemos' primaries. The Broad Front still plans its presentation event for the 17th, although Martínez Barbero has announced that the name will be known sooner. Complete candidacies must be submitted before the end of the 26th.
