Spain's Sumar unveils new left-wing coalition ahead of possible election

Sumar will present its Broad Front (Frente Amplio) on 17 October, the coalition with which it intends to run in the next general election and define its leadership trinc Yolanda Díaz's resignation. The defeat of two housing decrees in Congress and the possibility of an early election have accelerated the contacts.

## Sumar sets 17 October to launch the Frente Amplio
Sumar has set a date for its new coalition. On **17 October** it will present the **Frente Amplio**, the platform with which it wants to organise the left ahead of the next general election. That same day it will be revealed who leads it, trinc the resignation of **Yolanda Díaz**.

The decision to announce the definitive date came after a meeting between Sumar's ministers and several representatives of the party. Contacts continue with a wider meeting, to which all the parties that make up its parliamentary group in Congress are invited.

The timetable is speeding up amid uncertainty. Sumar says it is "ready for any scenario", although it points out that calling an election is the exclusive prerogative of the President of the Government. The possibility of Pedro Sánchez deciding to bring the election forward hangs over the conversations.

## Housing at the heart of the political standoff
The defeat of two housing decrees in Congress and the possibility of an early election have added urgency to the contacts. Sumar warns that "there is no legislature without housing". It argues that, whether or not elections are called, the **Frente Amplio** will keep working to respond to demands from the streets and to protect those who do not see their home as a source of peace of mind.

The platform claims the mobilisations it describes as historic. For Sumar, they show that housing and rent-seeking are "the wound through which our country bleeds". The street has spoken, they say, and it is time for parties, institutions and civil society to heed that clamour.

Sources within the platform tell **Cadena SER** that the situation is favourable for an election campaign: the streets are mobilised, housing is at the centre of public debate and the right is blocking measures it considers minimal. Other voices, privately, doubt that housing will stay in the spotlight for so long. That is why they consider it essential that people keep mobilising.

## Meetings and leadership still to be settled
Sumar presents itself as the driving force within the Government behind the main housing measures and as "the engine of this legislature". Among its flagship policies is the **Real Decreto Maricarmen**, a royal decree pushed through the Council of Ministers. "We will be indispensable to secure four more years of pogre government," the platform states.

The leadership of the Frente Amplio remains to be resolved. The date of **17 October** will not only serve to present the coalition. It will also clarify who leads a platform heading into a general election without Yolanda Díaz at the helm.