Más Madrid rejects IU coalition for 2027 regional vote, straining left unity

National unity, regional division

Más Madrid has confirmed it will run alone in the 2027 Madrid regional elections, rejecting a coalition with Izquierda Unida (IU) and Movimiento Sumar. The decision, announced on 17 June, comes just four months after the same parties launched a new broad left-wing alliance, known as Sumar, at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. The move exposes a fault line between the national project of unity and the regional realities where local parties guard their own brands. Joint press conferences and rotating spokespersons had become routine, but the Madrid case shows that the strategy will not be replicated uniformly across Spain.

IU's reaction

IU expressed dismay at the preemptive rejection, warning that it "puts at risk much more than an electoral formula for regional elections." Party sources called for "respect" and "height of vision," noting that the two formations are allies in the national government and co-sponsors of the Sumar relaunch. The rebuff, they said, weakens the image of unity that has been carefully projected since the alliance's launch on 21 February.

“It puts at risk much more than an electoral formula for regional elections.”

The Podemos factor

The decision also shuts the door on Podemos, whose leader Ione Belarra recently announced she will leave Congress to run for the Madrid presidency. Más Madrid argues that neither IU nor Podemos has parliamentary representation in the Madrid Assembly, and that its own 18.4% vote share makes it the leading opposition force. "We go with those who add. What does IU or Sumar add to us in Madrid?" a party source said. The party's primaries are already underway with Mónica García as the sole candidate.

“We go with those who add. What does IU or Sumar add to us in Madrid?”

Local exceptions

The party is open to local pacts in municipalities where IU has real presence, citing Rivas-Vaciamadrid as a model. But for the regional assembly, the strategy remains unchanged since 2019: run under the Más Madrid banner alone. This variable geometry contrasts with the national-level cooperation, where the four parties (Más Madrid, IU, Movimiento Sumar, and Comuns) are building a common front for general elections.

Implications for the left

The split raises questions about the viability of the Sumar project. While the four parties are constructing a nationwide alliance, the Madrid case shows that regional dynamics may override national unity. Similar tensions exist in Valencia, where Compromís also resists including IU. The episode underscores the challenge of reconciling local electoral interests with a nationwide alliance, and IU has warned that the decision could have consequences beyond a single electoral formula.