Negotiations between Izquierda Unida (IU), Podemos, and Sumar to form a unified left-wing coalition for the upcoming Andalusian regional elections have extended into the final hours before the registration deadline, with no public resolution reached as of Thursday evening. The deadline for submitting a joint candidacy to the Junta Electoral is 11:59 PM Friday.
A lengthy meeting, lasting over nine hours, took place in Seville on Thursday between representatives from Por Andalucía – the existing coalition led by IU and Sumar – and Podemos. Despite the intensive discussions, parties involved have remained tight-lipped about the progress made, echoing a similar scenario preceding the 2022 Andalusian elections when Podemos joined the coalition at the last minute and amid internal disagreements.
The meeting included Toni Valero, coordinator general of IU; Nico Sguiglia, representative of Podemos and spokesperson for Con Málaga; and Esperanza Gómez, coordinator of Sumar in Andalusia, according to Europa Press. Key points of contention reportedly include the allocation of financial resources within the coalition and the composition of candidate lists, with the final list submission deadline set for April 13th. Sources cited by RTVE described the dialogue as “very correct” and characterized by a “clear” exchange of viewpoints.
The primary objective for the left-wing parties is to present a united front against the incumbent People’s Party (PP) led by Juanma Moreno, and to counter the rise of far-right parties in the region. They also aim to project a cohesive image to voters, a challenge given the strategy of the Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), which is campaigning with the well-known figure of outgoing minister María Jesús Montero.
The Andalusian left has experienced internal divisions in the past, resulting in limited success in the 2022 elections. Podemos secured three seats with Juan Antonio Delgado, Alejandra Durán, and José Manuel Gómez Jurado; IU gained one seat with Inma Nieto; and Más País Andalucía won one seat with Esperanza Gómez.
In the past week, Por Andalucía solidified its candidacy with Antonio Maíllo at the helm, backed by Izquierda Unida, Movimiento Sumar, Iniciativa del Pueblo Andaluz, Partido Verde, and Alternativa Republicana. Podemos, initially resistant to joining the coalition, reversed course after a membership consultation, with 81.4% of participating members voting in favor of opening negotiations. This shift follows recent electoral setbacks for Podemos in Aragón and Castilla y León, where the party failed to secure parliamentary representation.
A Shift in Position
For the past year and a half, Podemos had not participated in Por Andalucía’s party meetings and remained distanced from efforts to rebuild the coalition. In October 2023, IU and Sumar registered Por Andalucía as a political party without Podemos’s involvement. Subsequently, the coalition selected Antonio Maíllo, leader of IU, as its candidate for the presidency of the Junta de Andalucía without internal opposition. The national leadership of Podemos initially appeared uninterested in a latest alliance, until its candidate, Juan Antonio Delgado, extended a “hand of cooperation,” stating there was “sufficient time” to form a unified candidacy.
Support from the national leadership of Podemos materialized on March 30th, with Pablo Fernández, the party’s secretary of organization, stating there would be no preconditions for their participation and that the inclusion of Movimiento Sumar would not be an issue. This came nine days after Ione Belarra, Podemos’s leader, suggested during a campaign launch event that parties willing to “restore a brave left that is not subservient to the PSOE” would be welcome.
The ongoing negotiations coincide with the departure of Inma Nieto, spokesperson for the Por Andalucía group in the Andalusian Parliament, after four terms. Nieto has pledged to remain available to the party, praising Antonio Maíllo as an “excellent candidate.” Her time in parliament was marked by a collaborative approach, and she previously expressed optimism about resolving internal issues ahead of the 2022 elections, believing that “internal problems” had been “more than overcome.”
Antonio Maíllo announced on Thursday, following Podemos’s decision to enter negotiations, the organization of a rally in Seville on April 19th to build “a broad, open, and democratic alliance to halt the right-wing and its cuts.” Currently, the event is scheduled to include Izquierda Unida, Más Madrid, Comuns, and Movimiento Sumar, but it remains unclear whether Podemos will also participate, given the uncertain outcome of the ongoing negotiations.
