A divided left heads to the polls

Podemos will stand candidates across Spain for the general election on 29 November, abandoning the effort to build a single left-wing ticket with Frente Amplio. According to El Mundo, the party will file lists for both Congress and the Senate in 47 of the country's 52 constituencies. The only exceptions are the Valencian Community and the Canary Islands, where the two sides agreed joint lists in all five provinces. In the Community of Madrid, Podemos will run on its own with Irene Montero as its reference figure, while Frente Amplio has put forward Emilio Delgado as its top candidate.

Where the talks broke down

Negotiations collapsed before the deadline for registering coalitions, which expired at midnight on Friday, 16 October. Pablo Fernández, Podemos's spokesperson and organisation secretary, said the party had an agreement largely drafted in Aragon and the Balearic Islands with Chunta Aragonesista and Ara Més, and that Frente Amplio's leadership blocked it in the final hours. On Friday night, Podemos's leadership rejected a Frente Amplio offer that would have reserved an exit slot for Irene Montero in Madrid and a co-spokesperson post for Podemos, according to La Vanguardia. La Vanguardia added that the party did not specify which points of that offer it found unacceptable.

Ada Colau, Frente Amplio's candidate, blamed Podemos for the failure, saying it had not wanted to sit at the negotiating table. In an interview on TVE, she said that Podemos's refusal was respectable, while noting the historical differences between Podemos and other left-wing parties.

“There is a discontent and a disappointment that, in part, I share. We tried everything, but it is time to stop talking about coalitions and get to work.”

Accusations and the party line

Pablo Iglesias, the former deputy prime minister, told RNE that Frente Amplio wants to 'kill' Podemos and accused it of harming its own prospects in order to avoid winning seats in constituencies. Fernández responded by invoking the saying that water already past does not turn the mill, and he apologised to left-wing voters who felt annoyed by the episode. He argued that the party now needs to focus on proposals and campaigning.

“Unfortunately, the Frente Amplio did not want it that way. It is a closed matter, and from now on we are going to focus on campaigning.”

Contradictions over pacts

La Vanguardia notes that Podemos criticises Frente Amplio for its Senate pact with the PSOE, yet Podemos itself runs unity candidacies with the socialists in Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera. El Periódico reports that Fernández described the Balearic Senate pact with the PSOE as an 'exceptional exception' that has been years in the making. In Catalonia, Podemos runs on the list of Esquerra Republicana, which is led by Gabriel Rufián, while Frente Amplio fields Ada Colau as its candidate for the Catalan government. Podemos has also rejected the Aragon and Balearic route of running members as independents, a formula it accepts in Catalonia.