Spain’s far left fails to unite ahead of November vote
Setback for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as Broad Front and Podemos miss coalition deadline
Quick Look
Parties on Spain's far left have failed to reach a nationwide agreement to run on a joint ticket in the November 29 election, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's hopes of forming a governing majority.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Frente Amplio had hoped to recruit Podemos for the November 29 election, but parties failed to reach a nationwide accord before the deadline.
MADRID – Parties on Spain’s far left have failed to reach an agreement to run on a joint ticket in the November 29 election, in a setback to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who would need their support to form a new governing majority.
The Frente Amplio (or Broad Front), an alliance of several parties to the left of Sánchez’s Socialist Party, had hoped to recruit Podemos, which was a junior partner in government from 2020 to 2023. But with the deadline for electoral coalitions falling at midnight on Friday, the parties were unable to reach a nationwide accord.
Instead, the Broad Front and Podemos will run together only in the Canary Islands and the Valencia region.
The Broad Front is made up of Sumar, the current junior partner in the Socialist-led government, the Catalan Comuns, the Communist-led United Left and Más Madrid. Some smaller local parties have also joined the ticket. The lead candidate for prime minister will be Ada Colau, the former mayor of Barcelona.
Sumar, the dominant force in the alliance, has seen its vote share more than halve since 2023, to 5%, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls.
Although Podemos has only been polling at 3%, its full involvement in the Broad Front would have meant a greater overall share of seats for the far left, according to analysts.
The PSOE has been trailing the conservative People’s Party and would need a strong performance by parties to its left in order to keep Sánchez in office. The more likely scenario, polls show, is that the PP will be able to form a majority with the far-right Vox, whose support has been rising.
“The Spanish left is caught up in a game of thrones that demobilizes [voters],” said Irene de Miguel, coordinator of Podemos in the western region of Extremadura, as the deadline loomed.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
PP may form a majority government with Vox.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- How will the split impact the final seat distribution on the left?
- Can Pedro Sánchez retain power without a unified far-left coalition?
