Spain’s left-wing forces fail to agree on joint list for November 29 election — Politico Europe

In Spain, parties positioned to the left of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party have failed to reach a nationwide agreement on a joint list for the November 29 election. This complicates Sánchez’s efforts to retain his position, as he needs the support of these political forces to form a new majority, Politico reports.

Agreement in only two regions

The Frente Amplio alliance, or Broad Front, hoped to bring Podemos, which was a junior government partner in 2020–2023, into cooperation. However, by midnight on Friday, when the deadline for forming electoral coalitions expired, the sides had not reached an agreement on joint participation across the country.

The Broad Front and Podemos will run together only in the Canary Islands and the Valencian region. Frente Amplio includes Sumar, the current junior partner in the Socialist government, the Catalan Comuns, the communist-led United Left, Más Madrid, and several smaller local parties. The alliance’s candidate for prime minister will be former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.

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Split in left-wing votes

According to Politico’s polling aggregator, support for Sumar, the largest force in the alliance, has more than halved since 2023, falling to 5%. Podemos is polling at around 3%, but analysts believe that its full participation in the Broad Front could have secured more parliamentary seats for forces to the left of the Socialists.

Spain’s Socialist Party trails the conservative People’s Party in polls. At the same time, polls indicate that the People’s Party could form a majority together with the far-right Vox, whose support is growing. Podemos coordinator in Extremadura Irene de Miguel said that competition within Spain’s left demobilizes voters.