Pablo Iglesias, after the elections in Spain: "We are essential for a left-wing government"

Add to rule, not win. This is the message with which Pablo Iglesias justifies tonight that United We can lose 29 seats (out of 42), compared to 2016, when the confluences counted 71 deputies. There are 1.3 million votes left. "It's enough to achieve our goals, we are an essential political force for a left-wing government in Spain," said the candidate. Iglesias called Pedro Sánchez to congratulate him and expressed his desire to "form a government".

The leader appeared with a big smile, the one of the accomplished duty. The polls gave him 13% intention to vote, the forecast increased by one point and resulted in a result that, in his words, put "the parliamentary weight of the progressive bloc above the weight of the three rights , the trio of Colon "The 42 deputies come from the sum of Podemos, IU, Equo and En Comú Podem. Nevertheless, to form a coalition with the PSOE, they will have to rely on the support of other parliamentary groups.

In his conversation with Sánchez, Iglesias said: "It's a lot of work and discretion, there are a lot of meetings, we agreed to talk and meet soon, we need to create a government program." Unidas Podemos has not put any red lines, yet.

The warning that Iglesias had repeated during the campaign, about a possible alliance between the PSOE and Ciudadanos, crossed the Goya Theater in Madrid, where the coalition met to wait for the results. "We must ask this question to Pedro Sánchez," he settled with another half smile.

Iglesias only got a moment of self-criticism after the loss of 30 deputies. "One of the fundamental problems of Podemos is to have given a picture of our inner situation that has not been up to the task," he reflected, the same one he has repeated since his return to the active life on March 23, after three months of paternity leave.

plurinationality

The election race left another key in the badysis of Iglesias. "Spain is a multinational, just look at the result in Euskadi and Catalonia," he said. "Who did not understand, do not understand Spain."

Unidas Podemos has been challenged to revitalize itself as the first force in the Basque Country and Catalonia. That did not succeed. At Comú Podem, its Catalan brand has grown from 12 to 7 seats and remains the third largest political force behind ERC and PSC. The commons led by the sovereignist Jaume Asens ceased to be the option that brought together in 2016 part of the socialists and independence.

In the Basque Country, the coalition also fell to third place. The territory is again the domain of the PNV. United Podemos and the PSOE tied with four deputies. In this region, the formation obtained six seats in the previous elections. During Iglesias' two visits to Eibar and Bilbao seduced socialist voters and Abertzales to give them back their confidence, but could not convince them.

Unidas Podemos has been challenged to revitalize itself as the first force in the Basque Country and Catalonia. That did not succeed. At Comú Podem, its Catalan brand has grown from 12 to 7 seats and remains the third largest political force behind ERC and PSC. The commons led by the sovereignist Jaume Asens ceased to be the option that brought together in 2016 part of the socialists and separatists. In the Basque Country, the coalition also fell to third place. The territory is again the domain of the PNV. United Podemos and the PSOE tied with four deputies. In this region, the formation obtained six seats in the previous elections. During Iglesias' two visits to Eibar and Bilbao seduced socialist voters and Abertzales so that they can once again have confidence in themselves, without being able to convince them: in Andalusia, they added nine deputies. In 2016, they reached the age of 11 and were the third force. In this community, Alberto Garzón, leader of IU, is guaranteed to reproduce in Congress. In previous elections, the leader was ranked fifth by Madrid on the common list. His party was looking for more visibility.

At the end of the electoral race, United We can redouble efforts and Iglesias made several stops in Castile and Leon, one of the regions most affected by depopulation. In this community, Unidas Podemos remained at zero as the polls predicted. He was not able to revalidate the three deputies of 2016. In Castilla-La Mancha did not take place either, he lost two. In Extremadura, he has not obtained representation either. In 2016, the coalition reached the 15 deputies of empty Spain, constituency that has less than six deputies.

We can fight until the last day to repeat the electoral coalitions in Galicia and Valencia in which he participated three years ago. This was not possible and they only reached an agreement with IU. In Galicia, this division cost them three seats. At Común-Unidas, Podemos, the new name of the Galician alliance, got two seats for Pontevedra and A Coruña. His former partners in En Marea, the platform of Luis Villares, appeared alone and did not get representation.

Compromís has also not revalidated its agreement with Podemos and, separately, they have not added the nine seats of 2016, while they were the second largest force in the Valencian Community. Unidas Podemos is left with five and the force led by Joan Baldoví, with one.

In Madrid, the list led by Iglesias with Irene Montero, number two, got six deputies. It is the neighborhood in which they have the best endured. The leaders repeat in their seats. At his side, Enrique Santiago, IU, and some of the most visible figures of the formation, such as Rafa Mayoral and Gloria Elizo.

Canarian judge Victoria Rosell, considered by the party as one of the signature stars, will return to Congress. In 2016, Rosell resigned from his top position on the Podemos list for Las Palmas. The magistrate, denounced at the time by the former Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, for an alleged case of prevarication and corruption, was waiting to be called to declare himself as investigated – imputed, according to his name before the reform. The complaint was lodged by the Canary Islands Superior Court of Justice in December of the same year. With the magistrate are María Pita, second on the list of Las Palmas, and Alberto Rodríguez, the deputy who, with his dreadlocks, has attracted the attention of the Congress.

The taxi stand

Even the Goya Theater has approached the dome of the party. Some 300 accredited journalists filled a room in the absence of activism. Some supporters gathered in the square of the Reina Sofía Museum, the emblematic place of the festival. Two dozen taxi drivers put their enthusiasm to good use for the night with their cars decorated with balloons, purple bows and sounding beeps. "We have to be honest, Podemos has always been there," said Tito Álvarez, spokesperson for the Elite Taxi union. His cries crossed those of the militancy of the PSOE, gathered at the headquarters of the street Ferraz. When Iglesias appeared on the screen, they shouted, "Yes, you can." When the Socialist candidate came out, they finished: "Rivera no". But, as the leader of Unidas Podemos said, there is still much to be done.