Colau opens Frente Amplio campaign in Madrid, targets 10% and presses Sánchez on housing

Campaign opens in Vallecas

Ada Colau opened the Frente Amplio campaign on the evening of Thursday, 12 November, at the Cerro del Tío Pío park in Vallecas, a working-class district of Madrid, hours before the official start of the campaign for the general election of 29 November. Crowd estimates differ by outlet, with about 400, about 500 and about 1,000 supporters reported. The rally put housing at the centre of the message. Colau arrived after the event had begun and opened her remarks in Catalan before switching to Spanish. On stage with her were Emilio Delgado, the alliance's top candidate in Madrid, Tesh Sidi of Más Madrid, Toni Valero of IU and Verónica Martínez Barbero of Movimiento Sumar. Her opening message was blunt.

“We are not running in these elections to do more of the same; we have come to change the rules of the game.”

A 10 percent target

Colau and Delgado both put the alliance at about 8% of voting intention and set 10% as the threshold that would change the result. Delgado spelled out the seat arithmetic at the rally: about 13 seats at 8%, 22 at 10% and 27 at 11%. El Periódico reports that the coalition wants to reach 10% during the first week of the campaign and has identified fifteen provinces where it believes it is close to winning a seat, often competing with the PP or Vox for the last one. Sidi spoke of winning the 'bronze', the third place that can decide a seat in small provinces. A Sigma Dos poll for El Mundo puts the alliance above 8% and Podemos around 1.6%. Delgado put the stakes simply.

“The only chance this country has of the right not governing is for Frente Amplio to clear that 10% barrier.”

At about 8% of votes13

At 10% of votes22

At 11% of votes27

At about 8% of votes

13 seats

At 10% of votes

22 seats

At 11% of votes

27 seats

Data from the article text

A message to Pedro Sánchez

Colau's speech was aimed largely at Pedro Sánchez and the PSOE. She asked the prime minister for more humility toward working people and more courage toward rentiers and speculators, and she urged the socialists to drop what she called triumphalist talk about the economy. Despite macroeconomic growth, she argued, inequality and poor redistribution of wealth remain unacceptable, particularly on housing, areas the PSOE has held during this legislature. RTVE reports that she also said the PSOE cannot govern alone.

“My commitment is that the next progressive government will be against speculation or it will not be.”

Strike, policing and housing

Colau also looked back at the general strike of Wednesday, 11 November, which she called a turning point. She denounced police charges against demonstrators that day and called for an investigation and political responsibility. She said the right to strike is a fundamental right that must be protected, not punished. On the same day, Congress validated the housing decree the coalition calls the 'Maricarmen decree', and Tesh Sidi said that five million Spanish families now have their rent extended.

What comes next

The campaign runs until polling day on Sunday, 29 November. Colau said the campaign would be difficult, with the far right seeking to exploit social discontent by blaming the vulnerable, and she insisted that voters would have the final word. Podemos is standing on a separate list, and El Mundo reports that it has joined forces with Gabriel Rufián. Frente Amplio measures its own progress against the 10% threshold it has set.