Rufián contradicts ERC and bets on a broad front also in Catalonia: "Esquerra and Comuns must talk"

Gabriel Ruffian, the candidate for the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) in the general elections scheduled for November 29, publicly challenged his party’s leadership on Tuesday by advocating for a broad left-wing front within Catalonia. Writing on the social media platform X, Ruffian argued that demanding such alliances in Madrid while rejecting them in Catalonia makes no sense. He stated that achieving agreement requires both ERC and the Comuns coalition to communicate, listen, and understand one another to resolve the current political impasse. Ruffian committed to pursuing this dialogue until the end of the campaign, dismissing opposing views as toxicity and lies. His comments came just twenty-four hours after ERC and Podemos announced their own collaboration pact. Under this deal, Podemos members will join ERC lists in Barcelona and Tarragona, while Ruffian will campaign alongside Podemos leader Irene Montero in the rest of Spain. This arrangement alarmed Comuns, which has been part of the new Broad Front with Más Madrid, United Left, and Sumar for months. In a statement released Monday, Comuns criticized Ruffian for attempting to divide the left despite his previous calls for unity. They confirmed their own candidate for the general election, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, shortly after issuing the critique. The stance taken by Ruffian directly contradicts public statements made by ERC under President Oriol Junqueras. The party denies any prospect of a pact with Colau’s group and characterizes its deal with Podemos merely as electoral cooperation. Private communications among ERC leadership indicate they are not negotiating with Comuns and refuse any agreement that would dilute their party identity. Months earlier, when Ruffian pushed for a unified left-front, Junqueras dismissed the possibility of aligning with Comuns, stating he had not gone to prison to turn Colau into a deputy. Isaac Albert, the ERC spokesperson, reinforced this position during a press conference in Barcelona. He praised Podemos for recognizing ERC as the best barrier against the far right. Albert insisted that ERC would run solely in Catalonia under its own program and symbols, explicitly ruling out joining the Broad Front, though the party remained open to speaking with all parties. From the Comuns side, David Cid, the formation’s spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament, stated on Tuesday that the group is working toward a larger Broad Front without specifying specific allies. Cid clarified that Comuns would field candidates in all four Catalan constituencies, thereby ruling out a pact with ERC similar to the one suggested by Ruffian’s circle. From Madrid, Gerard Pisarello, a key voice in Comuns and former secretary of the Congress table, urged all left-wing forces to cooperate and understand each other. He emphasized doing so without blame, driven by generosity and pragmatism to maximize the left's chances constituency by constituency. However, Pisarello warned that no force would be forced to abandon its distinctiveness, noting that no group would dissolve simply because others demanded it. Irene Montero, the Podemos candidate, also spoke on Tuesday regarding the agreement with Ruffian. This political maneuvering follows weeks of internal tension within ERC over Ruffian’s role. The party confirmed on Sunday at noon that Ruffian would lead the ERC list for the Congress of Deputies. A national executive meeting was set to formalize the decision, with regional congresses planned to finalize list details in the coming days. The definitive lists for the November 29 vote were slated for approval on October 20. Sources familiar with the negotiations indicated that ERC and Podemos were discussing collaboration that did not involve a joint candidacy. Potential arrangements included Ruffian campaigning for Podemos outside Catalonia and a Podemos-proposed independent joining ERC lists. Sources close to Ruffian highlighted that the goal was for Podemos not to run in Catalonia on November 29, instead asking voters to support ERC there. In exchange, Ruffian would campaign for them elsewhere. These sources described the alliance as open to anyone who wished to participate. The standoff between Ruffian and the ERC leadership extended to the last day, following months of pressure from the deputy to integrate the party into the state-level left proposal. The party struggled to conceal the erosion caused by Ruffian setting conditions for his return as candidate. A parliamentary source described the situation as absurd, noting that many in the Madrid group did not know the outcome of the weekend negotiations. Other voices indicated that trust between Ruffian and Junqueras was broken and wounds would take time to heal. Junqueras had told party leaders on Friday night that talks with Ruffian were on track, a message intended to calm nerves. Throughout the weekend, ERC leadership maintained that Junqueras and Ruffian stayed in constant contact but avoided confirming whether they met in person. Doubts about Ruffian’s continuation led the party to activate a Plan B, prompting Jordi Albert, a deputy close to Junqueras, to begin collecting endorsements for an alternative leadership bid. Once Ruffian’s continuity was known, sources from Comuns expressed their reaction to the developments.