Podemos and IU intensify negotiations to increase the coalition pacts for the 28M, closed in five regions

It seems feasible to seal agreements in Extremadura, La Rioja, the Balearic Islands or Euskadi and the dialogue will continue in February to complete more options

MADRID, 29 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Podemos and IU continue negotiations to outline the coalition options for the next regional and municipal elections in May, with prospects of expanding the agreements already reached in Navarra, Cantabria, Madrid, Murcia and Catalonia (in this case limited to the municipal and under the umbrella of the 'commons').

From both formations they indicate that the will is to quickly specify the joint candidacies for these elections and they are optimistic in order to seal them soon in the case of La Rioja, Euskadi (in the case of the municipalities and the provincial councils), the Balearic Islands and Extremadura, where the contacts are advanced.

More complicated, however, seems to be the cases of Asturias and Aragón, two territories where Podemos and IU have gone to these elections separately and where no significant progress has been made towards confluence.

IU had established its commitment to try to define the map of alliances at the end of January, a generic indication that was also shared by Podemos but without constituting a term limit, since negotiations are always subject to the casuistry of each territory. In this way, both sides emphasize that the talks will continue in February.

The a priori strategy of the talks is for the agreements to be global, both at the regional and municipal levels, although given the specificity of the local sphere, some territories have opted to advance in the regional agreement and leave the definition of the municipalities for later. which are still pending completion.

Navarra has been the community where the confluence of the two main forces of Unidas Podemos accelerated the most and a broad coalition was reached between both formations, which includes Batzarre, Alianza Verde and Independientes.

For example, in Murcia they have already tied a pact at the regional and municipal level, although its completion was left open in the case of some towns, such as Cartagena, and the possible incorporation of other forces such as Más Región (Íñigo Errejón's brand in the community). and Equo.

In Madrid, the agreement has already been ratified with the designation of candidates by the two formations in their respective primaries, once Más Madrid rejected the option of a broad front of parties to the left of the PSOE. In turn, Cantabria has been the most recent pact, announced this Friday at the regional level, and it remains to be seen if it will be extended to the Santander City Council, where there has been a clash over the definition of the list, and in other towns in the region.

In addition, the forecast that Podemos and IU manage is to reach an agreement in Extremadura, where there are elements that need to be outlined at the municipal level. Also in La Rioja, where the desire to compete together is manifest in the absence of specifying the fringes of the agreement. And in the Basque Country, the confluence is also taken for granted, the same scenario that is contemplated in the Balearic Islands.

In the case of the Valencian Community, one of the most important squares for these elections and where the progressive coalition Executive hopes to revalidate, the perspective is also that there is consensus for a joint list, in which contacts are already made and the most It is likely that it will be one of the territories where the dialogue will continue for a while.

Above all, sources from this political space indicate the lack of willingness of Compromís to establish serious contacts with a view to a confluence of unity. In fact, the dialogue with the Valencian formation, which was opposed to a coalition that it defined as a soup of acronyms and was only open to including positions from both formations as independent, has been considered broken.

Also in the Canary Islands, the option of a broad left-wing candidacy that for now remains undefined is being explored, where a party table with various formations was deployed (Podemos, IU, Sí se Puede Canarias, Más País and Equo).

In this community, in addition, the former leader of Podemos Alberto Rodríguez has launched the Drago project and the decision to be its candidate for the regional elections opened alliances. And neither is it noticeable on his part, according to the same sources, an adequate attitude to achieve that broad front.

Another square where there has been no confluence is in Castilla-La Mancha, where another table of parties has been deployed to the left of the PSOE, where the will to reach an agreement has been expressed, although both Podemos and IU have been postulated as options. to lead a unitary list.

However, in Asturias the possibility of unity between Podemos and IU seems difficult in the absence of progress. A climate similar to that of Aragon where the possibilities of confluence in a region with other progressive actors such as Chunta appear complicated in a scenario of fragmentation of candidacies, as has been the case since 2015.

On the other hand, and as has already happened in previous elections, the question of the brand is left to the discretion of the territories and there is no uniformity for the name of the coalitions. In this way, in Navarra a formula without acronyms has been chosen (With you Navarra) while in Murcia they are committed to them while in Cantabria it has not yet materialized.

Recently, the secretary of the Organization of Podemos, Lilith Verstrynge, stated that her aspiration is to achieve the maximum number of coalitions with the IU if there is a will on her part. Meanwhile, the leader of this formation, Enrique Santiago, stressed that the unit is his objective and predicted that the agreements will be widespread. What's more, he said that where there was no pact it would be the "exception" to a dynamic that goes through the alliances of the forces that make up Unidas Podemos.