The barrage of Iglesias against Díaz claiming “respect” for Podemos raises the tension in the confederal space to the maximum The vice president does not enter into the controversy while Podemos doubts that she will be a candidate for the general elections The negotiations on the CGPJ, the war in Ukraine and The increase in the Defense budget has caused friction between Díaz and Podemos. In March 2021, Pablo Iglesias named Yolanda Díaz as his successor at the head of the Vice Presidency of the Government and pointed her out as the future candidate to lead United We Can. That day he described her as the best Minister of Labor in history and went further: “Yolanda Díaz may be the next president of the Government of Spain.” A year and eight months later, the former leader of Podemos has launched a whole barrage against the vice president, without expressly citing her, which reveals the deterioration of their relationship, the enormous distance that separates them and the complex process to put together an electoral project to the left of the PSOE in the face of the next appointments at the polls. The division in that space is crucial for the result of the left in the general elections and for Pedro Sánchez to join other progressive formations if he wants to have options to keep La Moncloa. of Podemos in Sumar The uncertainties surrounding the future of Sumar, the platform led by Yolanda Díaz, and Podemos’s demand to be the “decisive force” in a future candidacy have raised the tension to the maximum and make United Podemos right now a pressure cooker. Yolanda Díaz is silent and did not want to enter into the controversy after Iglesias, retired from politics but setting the pace, claimed “respect” for the purple party this weekend and questioned the vice president’s strategy of overcoming the dynamics of the parties in their project to give priority to civil society. The estrangement between Díaz and the Podemos leadership has been progressive during this time. More than deep ideological differences, it is more about a power struggle and political management on key issues. Díaz assumed a more institutional role with her own style when she became Vice President of the Government against the ministers Irene Montero and Ione Belarra or leaders such as Pablo Echenique who, guided by Iglesias, mark the territory of the party and defend its essences. Although everyone recognizes that Díaz, who is not part of Podemos, is the greatest electoral asset on the left, in these months there have been trips, public questioning of his figure and permanent sources of tension, the last being the negotiations to renew the CGPJ, the sending of arms to Ukraine or the increase in military spending committed by Pedro Sánchez to NATO. CGPJ, weapons to Ukraine and military spendingA Ukrainian soldier in front of an armored vehicleEuropa PressYolanda Díaz and Enrique Santiago, from Izquierda Unida, personally led the dialogue with the socialist wing of the Government so that the negotiations with the PP would end the blockade of the Judicial Power . Díaz accepted the rules of the game established by Sánchez: discretion and not putting names on the table. She also validated the requirement demanded by the popular that members of the Executive could not enter directly into the Council. A position that collided head-on with Podemos, which put the name of judge Victoria Rosell on the table as a red line to accept the pact. Sparks had already flown over the shipment of weapons to Ukraine. Podemos showed its rejection by defending its traditional anti-militarist stance against NATO, but Díaz settled that debate by endorsing Sánchez with the argument that international politics was marked by the Prime Minister. Several voices from the purple party came out in a storm to denounce that shipment of weapons was a mistake. The increase in the defense budget in the latest public accounts unleashed another war. Echenique said that the 25% increase was a “shame” and denounced that the socialist part of the Government had hidden that unilaterally decided increase. The environment of the vice president affirmed that the leadership of the purple party was aware and that the pact reached with Sánchez was to avoid cuts in any social matter. Our will is to reach a coalition agreement with Sumar but it is Yolanda who must decide if she is a candidate. Right now we do not have that information (Javier Sánchez Serna, spokesman for Podemos) But if there is an issue that strains the seams between the two parties, it is the role of Podemos in the future Díaz project that should culminate in a candidacy for the elections. The purples consider that they must be decisive and protagonists because it is the party that has achieved the best results for the left in the last 40 years. The Podemos leadership has been putting pressure on Díaz for months to step forward, clarify what her project is going to be like, the role of each one and if she is going to be the candidate. This same Monday, spokespersons for the formation have insisted on that idea: “When Yolanda Díaz finishes organizing her political party, we will listen to her proposal. Our desire is to achieve a coalition agreement with Sumar, but it is Yolanda who must decide if she is a candidate. Right now, no we have that information.” Yolanda Díaz with Ada Colau, Mónica Oltra and Mónica García in Valencia (2021) Jorge GilMeanwhile, Díaz continues to tour Spain making Sumar known to civil society associations and groups and leaving aside the parties . He was seen at the presentation of his project this summer when he did not invite the top leaders of the formation. There was no photo of Díaz with Belarra, Montero or Iglesias. By the way, all three were caught by surprise by the registration of the Sumar brand, none of them knew of Díaz’s movement and they were received coldly. Just a year ago, Díaz organized an event in Valencia together with other leftist leaders such as Ada Colau, Mónica García and Mónica Oltra who for many was the embryo of possible future alliances. Belarra and Montero were not invited either and that caused great discomfort in the match. Pablo Iglesias remembered it last night in an Hour 25 of Cadena Ser. “At what point did your thing break?” asked the director of the program, Aimar Bretos. Pablo Iglesias: “There were many militants of Podemos who told Díaz “Respect us”, that what you have done in the Ministry of Labor, which is historic, is thanks to the fact that there was a party that defended you as a minister and it was Podemos” pic.twitter.com/nYGh15QTe9— Hora 25 (@hora25) 7 November 2022 Iglesias: “Yolanda Díaz exists for Podemos” The intention expressed by Yolanda Díaz to try to broaden the electoral base of United We Can provokes reluctance among the purples who see their hegemonic power in that space threatened. Already in April Iglesias launched a poisoned dart against Díaz. He reminded his successor that “it exists” thanks to the fact that the leadership of Podemos, -people like Belarra, Montero or Echenique-, pressed to “govern, govern and govern” with the PSOE despite the opposition of other forces such as the United Left . “And that’s why Yolanda Díaz exists,” Iglesias concluded his reflection. According to him, Galician politics did want to enter the Government but not at the cost of repeating the elections in 2019. The accumulation of disagreements, disputes and tensions has marked a before and after in the relationship of more than a decade between Iglesias and Díaz . “I’m leaving my skin for my country and I’m still working,” Díaz has limited himself to saying that she did not want to enter the melee.