Whether or not elections are called for the end of November, Sumar has taken advantage of the debate on housing in Congress to launch his electoral campaign using as his banner the automatic renewal of rental contracts, that is, the second decree overturned by the right; and a whole package of solutions against evictions and to stop vulture funds.
These measures, pushed by the demonstrations and camps, are the axis on which its political proposal on housing will pivot and, right now, they appear as the only certainty offered by a space that is absolutely mired in uncertainty about how it would face an early call for elections. Because the minority partner of the Government is precarious: it does not yet have a leader-candidate with which to present itself, the space is fractured in two, given that there is no agreement with Podemos; and has many of the debates to do to build an electoral coalition.
This turns Sumar, or Frente Amplio, which is what they want to call themselves in the elections, into a sea of questions that have to be answered at full speed if Pedro Sánchez finally presses the nuclear button and calls elections. An advance requires closing all matters in a matter of weeks due to the deadlines imposed by the Electoral Law.
Aware of the current climate, the parties that are part of Sumar have made a move and will hold an emergency meeting this Sunday to analyze the situation. Among the issues to be discussed is, of course, the need to "accelerate" the designation of a candidate for the elections.
Sources from several of these parties have confirmed the appointment and have explained that it will be an in-person and telematic meeting so that everyone can be there. In any case, they separate this meeting from an imminent call for general elections because what they get from the PSOE is that they are not yet in that scenario, although the date of November 29 is running fast through political rumor mills.
Among the names that have come out, after Pablo Bustinduy slammed the door, Ada Colau has taken flight. The mayor of Barcelona broke her silence last week and opened the door to "help" in the candidacy. He set two conditions: that it be "a really broad front" with Podemos within and that the unity list be "exciting."
Sumar is aware that he has a very serious problem. If there is an advance, a coalition will have to be re-established in the race as already happened in 2023. And that was so catastrophic in political terms that less than four years later the alliance had to be refounded.
IU, Movimiento Sumar, Más Madrid and Comunes have the brand, Frente Amplio, but they have not managed to resolve the issue of the candidate nor have they incorporated new parties since they announced the coalition in mid-February.
The leader of IU, Antonio Maíllo, has advocated for "accelerating" the "manifesto-program" of the broad front of the left and the election of the candidate who has to lead that process. "We are available for anything. If there are going to be elections, of course we are going to face them with a process of popular mobilization like no other," he said in statements in Congress.
Maíllo, who has called to maintain the mobilizations today and the rest of the weekend, has stressed that since this mobilization the alternative left "is in a position to face any scenario and, without a doubt, a scenario of electoral advancement."
Early elections would cause the left to open negotiations between Sumar and Podemos at full speed to seek a unity candidacy. The times would be so tight that the purple party's idea of holding "open primaries" would be seriously compromised. Because organizing a process of these characteristics is not easy at all, although logically everything is a matter of will and if you want to do it, you can.
