ERC and Podemos forge tactical alliance, dropping Catalan bid

Podemos drops out of Catalonia; Rufián seeks their vote

The preliminary agreement between ERC and Podemos is taking shape, presenting a hard-to-digest image for the left that contested hegemony a decade ago. The purple party will not run in Catalonia and will ask voters to support the republicans, while Rufián will campaign outside the region in what is described as a tactical front open to anyone willing to join. The operation, first leaked on social media and then revealed by television, includes a second phase: ERC would place Podemos candidates on the Barcelona list, and IU leaders have peine talks with Rufián, amid concerns within Más Madrid about a possible implosion of the space to the left of PSOE.

What does the preliminary ERC-Podemos deal say?

The first draft circulating has three pillars. One: Podemos gives up running in Catalonia. Two: its voters are redirected to ERC. Three: Rufián extends the campaign beyond Catalan territory, turning the operation into more than just a local withdrawal. The formula is presented as an open tactical front, a label elastic enough to allow new members without compromising party brands.

The harshest reading comes from the left itself. Some argue that not running even in Barcelona—where the left-wing electorate is abundant—is tantamount to admitting the goal is no longer to contest power but to keep a seat to live off. The contrast with the 2015-2016 cycle, when Podemos was the most voted force in Catalonia and approached one million votes, is the most repeated argument.

Why is Podemos giving up its Catalan candidacy?

The official explanation is efficiency: not splitting the vote. The underlying explanation is different. Today, nobody votes for Podemos, claim those defending the withdrawal, and in Catalonia there are enough alternatives for a purple candidacy to win a seat. Giving up a ballot that adds nothing and trading it for influence over those who do have it is, in this logic, pure calculation.

The problem is the framework. If the party withdraws from a stronghold and asks for votes for another, what remains of the brand? Internal criticism points to a model where leaders are not replaced when results are poor, something usually resolved by turnover in any organization—including vertical and corrupt ones. The thesis of the rotten couple's kiosk summarizes this current.

Rufián campaigns outside Catalonia: the tactical front

The ERC move is not free either. Rufián becomes the axis of a campaign that leaves Catalonia and seeks partners in the rest of Spain. The second leak suggests that ERC would place Podemos candidates on the Barcelona list and that IU figures are already talking to the republican, which would accelerate the timeline for a broader alliance.

Within Más Madrid circles, there is unease. There is talk of building bridges to avoid the implosion of the Broad Front, a formula that until now worked as an umbrella but now threatens to become a battlefield. That ERC keeps Rufián despite internal criticism—some demanded his head for alleged disloyalty to the party—adds noise to an operation sold as tactic but read as survival.

Context: From 2015 hegemony to the 2026 kiosk

The comparison hurts. Podemos approached one million votes in Catalonia in its best cycle and today negotiates not to run. In Madrid, the cited precedent is Pablo Iglesias resigning the vice-presidency to lead the regional candidacy against Ayuso with the expectation of being the second force and leading the left: the result was 0.0 like non-alcoholic beer. Nothing was learned from that attempt, critics maintain.

The general picture is of a left reorganizing defensively. Some talk of adding up; others, of dividing what remains. The lingering question—which no one answers with numbers—is how much of this tactical front is strategy and how much is damage inventory.