“Yolanda Díaz’s candidacy is not closed.” This is what the general coordinator of Izquierda Unida, Antonio Maíllo, said this morning when asked directly whether the second vice president of the Government and Minister of Labor will once again lead Sumar’s bid in an upcoming electoral candidacy. It is not known whether this coalition will present itself again with this name, nor its leader, nor who will be part of it, but these doubts coexist with the almost daily public presence of Yolanda Díaz.
In a conference organized by the Nueva Economía Fórum in Seville with the patronage of Asia —“some want us to speak only through the Mundo Obrero,” quipped Maíllo—, the coordinator of the IU underlined the “social unity” of the left in recent months following the demonstrations of Israel’s war in Gaza, the dana in the Valencian Community, the fires this summer or the protests in Andalusia for the failures in breast cancer screening and in defense of public health. “Political organizations are monitored to see what decisions they make,” Maíllo said.
The Andalusian leader recalled that Yolanda Díaz “has not said anything” about her possible candidacy and that “the first thing is to make a political project”. He added: “Everything else is secondary. I don’t care what it’s called, it’s not the substantive debate, but it’s important.” When questioned by the moderator, Maíllo did not rule out running: “I didn’t take the leap to run for anything, but life takes you where you didn’t expect to be. You don’t have to rule out anything, but be useful where you can be better for the common good.”
Maíllo underlined that IU will be part of the “project that has a unitary will” and considered the debate on the possibility of Podemos being part of this equation “overcome”. “We are in another phase. We are committed to a unitary process and to all those who want to join it,” he said, shortly before admitting that he “has not spoken for a long time” with Pablo Iglesias, one of the founders of Podemos.
The IU leader was “proud” that his party is part of the government coalition with the PSOE which, according to him, is “a dam for the reactionary alternative”. He also clarified his party’s vocation to be part of the future progressive government of Andalusia, after the regional elections scheduled for spring 2026. “Andalusia can no longer tolerate a third mandate of the People’s Party. We are putting a model of public service into play,” he underlined.
The president of the Amaña association of women with cancer, Ángela Claverol, participated in the Maíllo conference.
