Sumar lets the administrative and economic battle against Podemos cool down. The coalition led by Yolanda Díaz is inclined not to act for now against the purple party after it has broken its alliance and has gone with its five deputies to the Mixed Group. She continues to consider that it is a case of “transfuguism”, however, she avoids opening an administrative war to punish the purple ones. How could she be presenting a claim to the Ministry of the Interior to keep all or a large part of the more than 1.6 million in subsidies that Podemos will receive per year. The priority, they emphasize in the fuchsia coalition, is in other “concerns”, although that does not yet mean that this matter, which remains frozen and unclosed, will be shelved. The Executive of Sumar has addressed this conflict this Thursday in an ordinary meeting with the purple ones and one of their conclusions is that now it is “more important than ever for Sumar to be an example of responsibility, forward-looking and concern for the daily lives of Spanish men and women.”
For this reason, official Sumar sources place as those priorities “the plurinational agreement, the ecological transformation and social justice.” “We were born as a useful force and that is why those and only those are our concerns,” they say regarding the current situation and their open conflict with Podemos.
The case is really complex and is not so easily answered with a ‘act yes or no’ against Podemos. Well, there are many drifts that Sumar has to take into account. Among others, what the PSOE plans to do. Not in vain, the five Podemos deputies are essential for the parliamentary majority of Pedro Sánchez’s Government. Placing the official sign of “turncoats” on them or facilitating the removal of an important part of the subsidies would strain relations to the maximum with a party to which you need yes or yes for everything.
Both decisions go through the PSOE. Well, he has a voice and vote in the Anti-Transfuguism Pact, just as a socialist minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, controls the Ministry of the Interior. The PSOE also presides over the Congress Board.
A crucial part of the battle centers on money. Podemos agreed with Sumar to go together to the general elections that they would keep 23% of the subsidies that the coalition received for its operation. This transfer is made directly by the Ministry of the Interior to the parties and will mean 1.6 million euros per year for the purple ones.
Now that Podemos has broken the agreement and left, Sumar understands that he cannot take that amount of money from the group, since he has broken the obligations to which he had committed. Well, he is no longer within the coalition nor is he part of the unitary group that was agreed to have in this legislature. Left alliance spokesman Ernest Urtasun explained on Monday that Podemos cannot benefit from this. “Transfuguism cannot be rewarded,” he stressed. The issue is that the transfers are made by the Interior directly to the parties. He is the one who should be complained about.
Various voices within Sumar have shown themselves throughout the week in favor of letting this case go and not opening a war that it is not known if it could be won. Not because they do not believe that there are no solid arguments to consider them turncoats, but because of the consequences that keeping the conflict open would generate. Not in vain, the coalition government is starting up, they have many relevant issues to put into motion and, in addition, there are electoral processes around the corner in Galicia and the Basque Country. These elections are one of Sumar’s clear priorities. The others are to mark the first decisions that are going to be made in the coalition government. As is the Royal Decree of measures to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Sumar sources point out that for them this is of “utmost importance” and they are committed to marking on it their “hallmark”, which they define as “firmness in the defense of social protection and the redistribution of wealth.” In this sense, it is announced that Sumar experts are finalizing a proposal that will be announced in the coming days.