The future of the room to the left of the PSOE is still uncertain. With eight days to go before the deadline for registering the coalitions that will contest the July 23 general election, ministers are finalizing their agendas and the Sumar team is shielding particularly sensitive negotiations. The cohesion of the puzzle is complex. Yolanda Díaz has to come to an agreement in record time that reconciles the interests of about fifteen parties, whose understanding is at least essential for the fight. Nothing is being done and every day that goes by the actors pose their demands in black and white. The last to do so more or less publicly was Compromís, who asked late Tuesday to chair a vote in the Valencian Community, for the party sources also demand their own brand and from the outset without a large presence of Podemos. The conditions outraged the leadership of the formation this Wednesday. Former Vice President Pablo Iglesias, a figure who still wields enormous influence on the executive branch, transferred the pressure on TV3 to Díaz: “The responsibility of the leader is 90%.”
Surrounded by journalists, the Sumar leader avoided reporting on the progress of the negotiations in her first public appearance since the 28-M election on Wednesday. “There are many discouraged and concerned Democrats and progressives in our country today. I am sending you a clear message of hope and confidence. I accept the challenge and we go to conquer the land. Spain is waiting for us,” urged Díaz upon his arrival at the launch of a book in central Madrid.
Contacts resumed on Monday and various organizations have since shown their support. Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, Más País or the environmentalists Verdes Equo and Alianza Verde have made it. Last to speak was the party, whose candidacy for parliament on Sunday was led by former MP Joan Baldoví. “Compromises existed even before 15-M, we are a reality, we have militancy, structure and the support of 350,000 votes.” These are the arguments that the group’s negotiating team gave to Sumar’s representatives – Amparo Piquer and Iván Castañón for Compromís and Josep Vendrell and Rodrigo Amírola for Díaz – with whom they had a first meeting yesterday afternoon. The coalition held a leadership meeting on Tuesday, during which some minimum requirements were revealed: the “Compromís” brand must appear on the ballots and in no case can it be a confluence or the Valencian brand “Sumar” for the 23-J general election . The formation lost 100,000 votes in the 28-M autonomous elections but has significantly more support than Podemos, which lost 60% of the vote compared to 2019 on Sunday and was expelled from the Parliament and Valencia City Council. “That implies the candidacies,” admit sources of the organization, who will in principle require that the leaders of the list of the three provinces come from Compromís, although they do not rule out that if there is a consensus on the name, Podemos could be one of them to lead
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From Sumar, they refuse to give details of the negotiations but call for “calm” and urge to “keep working”. The talks take place in different formats and the aim is to reach an agreement with all parties. Compromís’ demands, however, have roiled Podemos. Some voices were already warning before 28-M that his party had a project and electoral space at the “state” level and that the results of regional and local elections could not be carried over to the general elections. This Wednesday it was former Secretary General Pablo Iglesias who expressed dissatisfaction. “The situation is very complex. With no time for primary elections, it will not be citizen leadership and listening that will determine how an exciting space is built, but we are already seeing compromises emerging. And the rest of the parties will say, “Me too.” This should get everyone thinking about how important it would have been to have things ready and set up sooner. From now on everyone has to make an effort,” criticized Iglesias, referring to the slowness of the process led by Díaz.
Yolanda Díaz, Eduardo Madina and Borja Semper, the presentation of the book “Perder la gracia”, this Wednesday in Madrid.Samuel Sánchez
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For the former vice president, however, there is currently “no alternative” to unity. “If there is no agreement, we will be beaten. “It’s a tremendous pressure on Yolanda,” he added. Iglesias underscored this problem, noting that it would be fundamentally a failure for the Labor leader “and her party” not to “achieve this”. “The responsibility that the leader bears is 90%. The rest of the actors have to pitch in. We can do this well given the opportunity, but it’s obvious who has the weight right now and who’s getting the demands,” he stressed.
From the formation led by Minister Belarra, they stress the importance of moving forward in the negotiations and warn that the next 24 hours are crucial to start finalizing the details. The deadlines are getting shorter and shorter and the more the process is delayed, the more the possibilities of understanding are taken away, they are postponed.
Más Madrid also wants to maintain the support of no less than 18.35% of the votes won in the Autonomous Community of Madrid on Sunday. “We have had some very good results,” opposition leader in the regional assembly, Mónica García, recalled on RNE. “We will contribute to the progressive space of Sumar with the generosity and ability to produce results that guarantee our talent, experience and way of doing politics.” We will not follow red lines,” the MP said. Sources from the formation deny that they intend to veto Podemos’ presence on the Madrid lists. But everyone jealously guards the details. There is little more than a week to cross the abyss.
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