Comuns Sumar understands that it could be decisive in shifting the legislature to the left. It was one of his objectives and they believe they achieved it. Although it does not depend by any means only on them, that is his consolation after 12-M. The other purpose was to maintain or achieve a slight improvement in the electoral results. The challenge was difficult given the rise of the PSC, but they did not come close to achieving it. They went from eight to six deputies, leaving behind 13,550 votes, 1.05 percentage points less. An outcome that makes reflection inexorable.
“These are not the results we expected. Obviously, we would want more strength. We will surely have to do an in-depth critical analysis of our results,” David Cid, elected deputy and head of communication for the commons, acknowledged yesterday in an interview on TV3. They have not had such bad results since the five Initiative deputies in 1999. The thirteen in 2012 are far behind. The commons did not call a press conference yesterday, as several parties did to evaluate 12-M. Yes, the party executive met.
Meanwhile, messages did arrive from their state partners. They were in line with what the candidate, Jéssica Albiach, said on election night. Sumar’s spokesperson and Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, who like Cid comes from the Initiative, urged the PSC to move to the left: “It would be a mistake not to work towards the formation of a left-wing tripartite, Salvador Illa cannot govern alone,” he said at a press conference.
The leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, added to the pressure on Illa through a video: “The message that citizens have left at the polls is clear. We must form a progressive government. Repeating elections would be a failure that would generate more disaffection and would prevent us from starting to improve people’s lives now,” she posted on social networks. In short, they urge the PSC to make a move.
They have been repeating it since the pre-campaign: they want to be part of a progressive Government to make progressive policies. Not at any price. Although it is true that negotiating power is not the same after a good result as after a setback. The electoral repetition could be fateful for the commoners given the danger that Illa will manage to concentrate the progressive vote even more.