Apology and a deadline

Gabriel Rufián, ERC's spokesman in Congress and lead candidate for Barcelona in the general elections set for 29 November, apologized to citizens on 16 October for the left's failure to agree a unitary candidacy. Speaking to journalists, he called the recent episode a 'dantesco' spectacle and a 'vodevil', and urged left-wing parties not to destroy one another during the campaign. He took personal responsibility for a project that could not be carried through and said he thinks about leaving every day. He added that his duty is to stay as long as there is a minimal chance that someone votes for him. He lamented the outcome in these words:

“I thought I could bend the arm of the party leaderships and drag them toward common sense, but I have not been able to.”

Few hopes before the deadline

With the deadline for filing coalitions expiring late on 16 October, Rufián said there were few hopes of reaching every possible agreement, while urging party leaders to keep trying until the end. He said he would like a genuine broad front in Catalonia and in Madrid, and he considered the Madrid list to be the same as before under a different name. He described the early election, called by Pedro Sánchez, as irresponsible and said it caught everyone off guard. He warned that the parties risk harming one another in the campaign:

“Killing each other, or killing me, does little good.”

His stated goal is for the PSOE to govern again, which he said requires that the left avoid harming itself. He also said he had kind words for figures such as Irene Montero and Ada Colau and promised not to criticize or attack anyone.

Rac1 interview and the ERC leadership

In an interview with Rac1, reported by Europa Press, Rufián said he had come close to giving up on 15 October. He said he had tried to build a single anti-fascist candidacy for ERC members and ordinary people, not for officials in party offices. He said the ERC leadership under Oriol Junqueras did not believe he could mobilize so many people. He also warned that Santiago Abascal would go after ERC if he became interior minister. Rufián said Pedro Sánchez had called the early election to protect what he called his personal electoral position.

A patchwork of regional deals

Rufián's failure sits within a fragmented map of left-wing alliances. In the Canary Islands, the regionalist left, Frente Amplio and Podemos reached an agreement. In Andalucía, Adelante Andalucía, Frente Amplio and Podemos will run separately. In the Balearic Islands and Aragón, the regionalist left and Frente Amplio united without Podemos, which in Aragón will run on its own. In the Valencian Community, Compromís and Podemos are going together, with Frente Amplio possibly joining. In Catalonia, Podemos and ERC will run together after an agreement between Podemos and Rufián, although the wider effort to unify the left failed, according to Rufián himself.