Iniciativa proposes Alberto Ibáñez to head Compromís list for Valencia as talks stall

Iniciativa backs Ibáñez for the top slot

On Wednesday, 14 October, the Mesa Nacional of Iniciativa met in València, the party's highest decision body between congresses, and unanimously proposed deputy Alberto Ibáñez to lead the coalition's list to the Congress at the general election of 29 November. The board had been briefed on talks aimed at offering Valencian voters one shared left-wing ballot. The vote repeats a position the party's executive had already taken the week before. The coalition's statement increases pressure on Més, which is not willing to accept Ibáñez as head of the list.

The priority goal must be to achieve a unitary list with all the Valencian political forces of the emancipatory left.

Més wants to keep Micó in charge

Més Compromís, the coalition's majority partner, wants its current deputy Águeda Micó to keep the lead role and has declined to discuss names publicly. Micó left the Sumar group in Congress during this legislature for the Grupo Mixto, while Ibáñez, described as a trusted ally of Mónica Oltra, stayed with the Sumar group. In the 2023 election Micó headed the list with Ibáñez second. Iniciativa complains of years of being sidelined by Més and argues it is time to set red lines, given that regional elections are approaching. Joan Baldoví, of Més, is the candidate for the Generalitat, and Oltra, of Iniciativa, will run for the Valencia city mayoralty.

Talks with Esquerra Unida and Podemos stall

The wider negotiation for a single left-wing list is also struggling before the deadline. Reporting from 15 October said the pact was further away than the day before, with bilateral meetings between Compromís and Esquerra Unida, and between Compromís and Podemos, set to resume on Thursday, 15 October. Podemos is described as more inclined to join the Compromís list, while Esquerra Unida, the Valencian federation of IU and part of the Frente Amplio, has made repeating the electoral alliance in the 2027 elections a condition. Compromís wants its own brand over an umbrella that makes no reference to the other parties or the Frente Amplio, a condition that does not sit well with Esquerra Unida. Candidacies must be registered by Friday, 16 October.

Split threats and open questions

According to negotiating sources, a faction within Iniciativa insists that Ibáñez must head the list or nothing, and has floated leaving the deal to seal a pact with Esquerra Unida for the Frente Amplio. The coalition does not regard that threat as credible. Older conflicts between Iniciativa and Més have resurfaced in the row, which some describe as a settling of scores. Iniciativa's bodies were called to meet on Thursday to decide on the offer. The same sources say spokesman Carles Esteve is more willing to talk and to accept Més's proposal, and that his wing is trying to broker a compromise. The offer on the table keeps the top spot in Valencia with Més and gives Iniciativa the top two places in Alicante, while Esquerra Unida's participation is still undecided.

Key dates ahead

Four dates frame the talks, from the Mesa Nacional vote to the general election on 29 November. Bilateral meetings were scheduled to continue on Thursday, 15 October, and the candidacy deadline falls on Friday, 16 October.

1. Oct 14, 2026Mesa Nacional unanimously proposes Alberto Ibáñez for the Congress list
2. Oct 15, 2026Bilateral talks between Compromís and Esquerra Unida, and Compromís and Podemos, to resume
3. Oct 16, 2026Deadline for registering electoral alliances and candidacies
4. Nov 29, 2026General election

Who heads the Valencia list, whether Esquerra Unida and Podemos join, and what name the joint ticket will carry all remained open as of 15 October.