Rufian leads ERC list, rejects Colau offer as ERC-Podemos pact nears

Gabriel Rufian will head the ERC list for the November 29 general election, the party confirmed on Sunday, ending weeks of internal tension over a possible alternative candidate. The decision means Rufian declines an offer from former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau to lead the new Frente Amplio coalition backed by Comuns, IU, Sumar and Mas Madrid.

Mas Madrid proposed that Frente Amplio be led by its regional deputy spokesperson Emilio Delgado with Health Minister Monica Garcia as number two, and opened the door for Podemos to join the Madrid list. IU backs Colau while Sumar favours a Colau-Delgado ticket.

“It is time for all organisations to clearly express their willingness to contribute to unity, because no one is surplus in the coalition we intend to articulate.”

In parallel, ERC and Podemos are finalising an unprecedented electoral collaboration in Catalonia. The two parties had been estranged since Podemos broke with Sumar nationally, fracturing the Comuns space where Podemos previously operated.

Frente Amplio parties met on Monday and formally proposed Colau as their prime ministerial candidate. They also invited Podemos to join the coalition, arguing that "no one is surplus" in the progressive alliance they seek to build.

Comuns sources expressed deep discomfort with the ERC-Podemos pact, accusing Rufian of fracturing the left despite his recent public calls for unity. The coalition insists Colau is the best figure to lead in the current political context.