Frente Amplio proposes Ada Colau as its candidate for Spain's presidency in 29-N vote

The proposal

On Monday, 12 October, the four parties of the Frente Amplio agreed to propose Ada Colau as their candidate for the presidency of the Government in the general elections of 29-N. Izquierda Unida, Movimiento Sumar, Más Madrid and Comuns issued a joint statement after meeting that afternoon. The decision followed a week of tense negotiations that were partly conducted through the media, according to El País. The statement did not say which constituency Colau would stand in, a point of friction that had blocked talks for days. El País reported that the pact between Podemos and ERC had precipitated the outcome, against a backdrop of polls forecasting a slump for the space.

We want to convey our conviction that Ada Colau is the figure best placed to assume leadership in the current political situation.

Rufián and the ERC pact

Gabriel Rufián, ERC's parliamentary spokesman and candidate for Barcelona, rejected the public offer to join a state-level coalition. ERC then confirmed an electoral agreement with Podemos, which means Rufián and Irene Montero will campaign as a team. The Frente Amplio parties had waited on Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday for Rufián's decision, according to El País. Rufián responded on X that he would not criticise anyone, however much he wanted to, and that the project was 'never about renaming something that already existed', a reference to the Frente Amplio brand. He said there was still time for an understanding among the left.

If less is leaked to win the story of the day and more work is done to really win, it can be done.

Podemos and the call for unity

The Frente Amplio statement said Podemos is also invited to join the project and that nobody in the space is superfluous. Before the ERC and Podemos agreement was confirmed on Monday morning, former Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias told RNE, as reported by Europa Press, that a leadership tandem of Rufián and Irene Montero was an 'opportunity of gold' for other left parties. Montero is a former minister of Equality and a Podemos leader who has proposed open primaries to choose candidates. Iglesias said the alliance could redefine the electoral map and revitalise progressive voters.

Comuns and the split in the left

Comuns, Rufián's rival in Catalonia, responded with a sharp statement in the early afternoon. Its statement said Rufián's moves had produced a deep disappointment among left-wing voters.

Rufián was going to unify the left and is doing everything possible to divide it.

Comuns said it intends to run in the Catalan provinces and argued that it was the second most voted force in Catalonia at the 2023 elections, ahead of ERC. Several Frente Amplio voices accused Rufián on Monday of obstructing unity, although he had spent months defending cooperation between progressive forces to stop PP and Vox from winning an absolute majority in Congress.