Podemos drops its brand and hands the 29N campaign to an Irene poster

Podemos erases its logo and puts Irene on the 29N poster

The Spanish left-wing party has unveiled its campaign image for the 29N general election, and neither its name nor its logo appears on it. Instead, a giant "Irene" is repeated along the top left, alongside the slogan "Peace, housing and work". The candidate, Irene Montero, takes centre stage in a campaign that Podemos sums up with one idea: putting the basics back at the heart of politics, the things that make a decent life possible.

The party has confirmed it will run in every constituency except Catalonia, where there is a deal with ERC, and that in the Valencian Community and the Canary Islands it is running on joint lists. Pablo Fernández's leadership has lashed out at Frente Amplio for failing to close a left-wing unity deal and argues that what people want is "a left independent of the PSOE". The campaign hinges on three pillars: housing, the cost of living and peace.

What Irene Montero's programme proposes

The electoral programme that accompanies the poster includes cutting the working week to 30 hours, raising the minimum wage to 1,800 euros and fighting climate change. On housing, Podemos insists it "cannot be a business" and promises measures to bring down the cost of living and restore purchasing power. On defence, the party rejects rearmament and calls for "not one more euro for weapons": "We don't want our children to go to wars. Being the US's partner in NATO puts us in danger," it states in its press release.

A slogan that echoes the Falange and Lenin

The chosen slogan, "Peace, housing and work", has sparked comparisons among some forum users. Some point out that Lenin's slogan was "Peace, land and bread", while others note its resemblance to the Falange's "Fatherland, bread and justice". The poster, with bold typography and a photo of a smiling Montero, has been read by part of the electorate as a turn towards classic language. In any case, the campaign makes no secret of its aim: appealing to everyday concerns with three-syllable words.

The European seat it won't let go of

The candidate will not give up her seat as a Member of the European Parliament while running in the general election. Some participants in the debate have interpreted the decision as a sign of caution in the face of an uncertain result: the forum notes that polls put Podemos right at the 3% threshold and, at best, with one seat in Madrid. The party's parliamentary survival is at stake. Meanwhile, the party has lost its brand but not its surname: the poster is Irene.

The left that can't agree

Podemos accuses Frente Amplio of having blocked the left's unity deal and of striking a deal with the PSOE in the Senate. Pablo Fernández's leadership argues that this term in government has shown that "when the PSOE has no real counterweight from the left, the outcome ends up being negative for the working class". Left-wing unity, however, is not happening: in Catalonia there is a deal with ERC, in the Valencian Community and the Canary Islands there is a unity agreement, but in the rest of the constituencies Podemos is running alone. The result of that fragmentation will be seen on 29N.

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Irene Montero's campaign is, above all, a personal bet. The party has disappeared from the poster so there is no doubt about who the candidate is. The question is whether that prominence is enough to clear the 3% threshold and keep the seat. The forum's view is that the polls are not encouraging. The Podemos brand, once the most valuable on the left, has become a burden the leadership has decided to drop. If 29N goes badly, Irene's poster will be the last of a party that once had 69 MPs.