“Everyone in, without crossed vetoes.” Thus it synthesizes Antonio Maílloleader of IU, his proposal for a single left-wing candidacy in the next general elections, in a unity that includes Podemos. Maíllo includes all of this in the draft of the political report that he will present this Sunday for debate and voting to the federal coordinator, the highest governing body between assemblies of the historic formation that houses the Communist Party of Spain. Maíllo stirs up the thorny debate on the confluence on a weekend of intense activity on the leftin which the Fall Uni of Podemos, one of the key points of his political calendar. Esquerra Unida de Catalunya also holds an assembly this Saturday.
In the report, to which EL PAÍS has had access, Maíllo is in favor of a “unitary culture in the construction of alliances”, which would be summarized in the expression “everyone in, without crossed vetoes”. “Accordingly,” he adds, “we have established relationships with all the organizations that were part of Sumar’s candidacy on June 23, 2023, including Podemos.” Both the party led by Ione Belarra Like the Comunes, Movimiento Sumar, Más Madrid and Verdes-Equo, the formation led by Maíllo has sent “the same message.” And that message includes IU’s willingness to “build competitive alliances, motivate people to participate politically and generate a stimulus that puts an end to the sum of weaknesses.”
“Izquierda Unida, on equal terms, without being more, but not less, has launched a proposal to work on unity when acting with the rest of the organizations. This political process seeks (…), through a democratic and participatory methodology, to achieve a single candidacy of the federal and confederal left for the next electoral dates,” adds Maíllo, who explains that with all this he acts following the mandate of the assembly that elected him leader of IU in May and defends that the process starts from “coordination among equals and democratization in decision-making.” He also adds, we must “end the confusion of nomenclatures”, caused by the fact that there is “Movimiento Sumar (party) and Sumar (coalition)”. Maíllo concludes on this point: “We need a method of operation, which does not yet exist, and we need the political will to reunite.”
If there is no advance, the general elections would be in 2027. The next scheduled regional elections are those of Andalusia, in principle in 2026. Precisely in the southern community It is where IU and Podemos appear to have a better understandingworking at a confluence that also includes Más País, with little development in the region. It remains to be seen if a similar collaboration scheme is possible at the state level. In Madrid, where Más Madrid is stronger than Podemos, the old wounds between the Pabloites and the Errejonistas remain open. Maíllo’s movement, consistent with his fear of a “Italianization” the alternative left that leads to irrelevance, does not guarantee a solution to the objective problems that hinder unity today. What it does imply is that the organization with the most history in that political space, if it approves the report, takes sides and agitates for an always delicate issue, which in turn can push others to also establish their position.
Housing, “singular financing” and Israel
Maíllo’s diagnosis also addresses what is, in his opinion, “the great political question of the moment”, the dwelling. The author of the report, who warns that the rise of the far right in Europe is due to the “inability of the left to offer security in key areas such as housing, employment, health and education”, he concludes that “the current correlation of forces” in political power advises that “we focus a good part of our political action on organized mobilization”, helping the protests demanding rent cuts and solutions to the effects of tourism “continue to be massive.” The meaning is clear: Maíllo has more confidence in the ability of the street than the Government to force changes in housing. The IU leader leaves a critical message for the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez (PSOE), whom he accuses of falling into “overacting” and carrying out “self-amendment” by not completing his initial desire to “punish” the PP communities that do not apply the price control provided for in the housing law.
The IU coordinator confirms the “impossibility of the Sumar coalition” – in reference to the set of parties that presented together on July 23 – of establishing “coordination of the political space”, which has led to the formation that He himself leads “the launch in the parliamentary group of a working team” to reach a “joint position” on the agreement between the PSC and ERC for a “unique financing” of Catalonia. “At IU we will defend the consensual financing system that has equity as its guiding principle,” says Maíllo, “convinced” that there are bases for an agreement on an issue that has caused division in Sumar.
The report also demands that the Government take a firm position on immigration in the face of the “reactionism” of the PP and criticizes the majority of the Executive led by the PSOE for not facilitating the Ministry of Youth and Children, led by Sira Rego – who was its adversary to head IU–, “lead the debate” on migrant minors “with greater boldness.” It is not the only reproach to the PSOE, which demands – as in any other case of corruption, says Maíllo – “clear and credible explanations” about the possible “guilty exploitation” of former minister José Luis Ábalos in the Koldo case and who criticizes his position on Western Sahara and Israel. Regarding Israel, a country with which he asks to “cut all types of relations,” Maíllo goes so far as to affirm that it has a “deeply sick” society, which “rewards the Government (of Benjamin Netanyahu) when it displays its greatest cruelty against the civilian population of neighboring countries.”
Who Maíllo does support is the State Attorney General, Alvaro Garcia Ortizprosecuted by the Supreme Court for revelation of secrets after the dissemination of a statement to deny a hoax launched by Isabel Díaz Ayuso’s entourage in relation to a case of tax fraud involving the boyfriend of the president of the Community of Madrid. “We must be clear that the accusation is part of the sequence that comes from the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court of interfering in political life. “It continues the line of coherence that they had in their actions with respect to the amnesty law, in which they demonstrated that they were willing to force the end of the legislature and call elections,” says Alberto Garzón’s successor as leader of IU.
