The attempt to thaw between Podemos and Sumar did not go well. As much as the gestures were forced this Monday in Pamplona, the first joint act between Ione Belarra and Yolanda Díaz brought to the surface the resentment that the purple party maintains with the leader of Sumar. The push to Irene Montero to remove her from the lists still stings, and a lot, and there is also the danger that a result below expectations will leave Podemos in the bones in Congress, with an almost testimonial delegation of deputies.

The feeling of humiliation is what has led the purples to adopt a passive attitude in the campaign. Podemos and its leaders are dragging their feet when it comes to lavishing themselves on events and fighting for each vote in the streets, in interviews or on networks, and this was seen in the fact that the general secretary of Podemos did not mention Díaz for his name in your speech.

It is common in this type of event for the opening act to praise the candidate, to highlight her virtues or to appeal to her values and achievements.. However, Belarra chose yesterday to make a much flatter and more general speech and to refer only to the Sumar brand as the recipient of the trust for being the continuation of United We Can. And nothing about Yolanda Díaz. It is a distancing that does not favor wounds to heal before the 23rd. And when there are around 200,000 or 300,000 very coffee-loving purple voters, according to the data managed by Sumar, who would be doubting whether to maintain the discipline of the party, which asks with a small mouth to vote for Sumar, or whether to punish the head of the coalition for his behavior with Podemos.

feminist rights

Without gestures or express messages to those voters to clear up that dilemma and close ranks, Belarra pointed out in front of Díaz the elephant in the room. In his turn, he made a vindication of the political legacy of Irene Montero in Equality and extolled, among other laws, the controversial one that only yes is yes, the Trans Law or the reform of the abortion law. Thus, he praised that the coalition government had advanced “a new generation of feminist rights.”

The next few days are going to be decisive for Sumar but also for Podemos. There are sources from the purple party that reject the sit-down attitude and the attitude of staying in the trenches, when reality is what it is and the future of the formation is also put on the table in the vote on the 23rd. However, there is no planned change of strategy in the purple campaign. Provincial candidates continue to do their acts to be elected but national leaders maintain a minimal campaign.

Belarra entered the scene last Saturday in Las Palmas after having lavished himself in a brief walk through Murcia in the first stage of the campaign. Yesterday he made his debut with Díaz in Pamplona and will repeat with her at the closing in Madrid, in the Tierno Galván park, together with leaders of other political formations that make up Sumar. Neither Podemos has a leading role reserved for these days nor does it claim it.

Then there are minor issues but that also means campaigning and doing your part for a good result. How to mobilize militants to participate in acts or recruit proxies to appear at polling stations. Neither of these two things is standing out for now, compared to other parties that are trying to move and that have already presented numbers of supporters willing to get involved.