Pablo Iglesias Warns Podemos May Lose All Seats in Andalusian Elections

Former Spanish government deputy prime minister and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias has criticized the electoral coalition Por Andalucía, predicting that the party will fail to secure any seats in the upcoming Andalusian regional elections on May 17, 2026.

Speaking on Radio Nacional de España (RNE), Iglesias expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement reached between Podemos and other left-wing entities. The coalition includes Izquierda Unida (IU), Movimiento Sumar, Iniciativa del Pueblo Andaluz, Alternativa Republicana, and the Partido Verde Andaluz. While Podemos and Alianza Verde joined the group on April 2, 2026, Iglesias claims the terms of the merger are not generous and will leave the party without representation in the next parliament.

Disputes Over Candidate Placement

The tension stems from a protracted negotiation process. While IU began discussions to renew the coalition in October 2024 through a “party table” internal negotiation body, Podemos remained excluded from these talks until the final week before the deadline for registering coalitions with the Junta Electoral de Andalucía.

During an eight-hour meeting on the Thursday before the deadline, Podemos requested top-tier positions in five provinces where Por Andalucía had previously won seats in 2022: Sevilla, Málaga, Cádiz, Córdoba, and Granada. However, other coalition members refused to move their lead candidates.

Podemos eventually agreed to join the coalition after securing the following positions:

• The number two spot in Sevilla.
• The number two spot in Málaga.
• The number one spot in Jaén.

Iglesias noted that many within Podemos are indignada (outraged) by the outcome, contrasting the current situation with a previous agreement where Podemos helped Izquierda Unida increase its representation in the Congress from two seats to eight.

Impact on the Left-Wing Vote

Iglesias also criticized the political strategy of María Jesús Montero, the PSOE-A (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party of Andalusia) candidate for the presidency of the Junta de Andalucía. He argued that Montero’s public praise for the coalition agreement between Podemos and IU is counterproductive.

According to Iglesias, the positive relationship between the PSOE and Antonio Maíllo, the general coordinator of Izquierda Unida and candidate for Por Andalucía, may drive voters away from the coalition. He suggested this dynamic would either lead voters to stay home or shift their support toward Adelante Andalucía, an anti-capitalist party led by Teresa Rodríguez that has distanced itself from the left-wing coalition.

The Outlook for the Andalusian Government

The political landscape for the May 17 elections is centered on whether the conservative Popular Party (PP) can maintain its dominance. Iglesias stated that current polls suggest the primary outcome will be whether the PP governs alone or in partnership with the right-wing party Vox.

Iglesias criticized Montero for not explicitly stating that the PSOE-A would never vote for the PP, even if such a move would prevent Vox from entering the regional government. He argued that Montero used brilliant rhetoric to describe differing projects instead of providing a clear refusal.

He maintained that if the PP-A fails to secure an absolute majority, a debate will emerge regarding whether to support a minority PP government to block the ultra-right, a point he believes Montero failed to resolve clearly during her RNE interview.