The tension on the Spanish left, between Sumar and Unidas Podemos, continues to boil over, even more after a statement by Ada Colau to Spanish public television, in which she warned Podemos that if they do not fulfill their commitments "there will be no economic return". This public warning to the older anti-austerity party, just after it had expressed its rejection of the pact between the Socialists (PSOE) and Sumar, has further fueled the fire between the two parties, severely damaged since June when Yolanda Díaz's new platform forced Unidas Podemos to cede its former leadership of the space left of the PSOE. Colau's threat did not go unanswered: in a harsh criticism, Podemos founder and former Spanish deputy PM Pablo Iglesias has labelled Colau's threats as a reflection of her "authoritarian frustration".
"Ada Colau would like to have the power to punish in order to be obeyed, but by transforming her desire into a public threat that she cannot fulfill, she only succeeds in making visible to everyone the pitifulness of her disempowerment," said Iglesias this Wednesday in an article in the newspaper Ara. Iglesias emphasized the seriousness of making a public threat and he stood up for the independence of the Podemos MPs.
"It wouldn't hurt if the criticism between the parties of the left took place without threats and out of respect for the autonomy of each one", he said and have a reminder that if there is to be a new coalition government in Spain, collaboration will be necessary between the left-wing parties, something that cannot be achieved by threats. "If the legislature of the amnesty finally gets rolling, the left-wing parties will have to collaborate to ensure that the PSOE will carry out some left-wing policies. To achieve this, threats, especially those that they cannot be fulfilled, do not help much", he concluded.
Iglesias was not the only Podemos member who was outraged by Colau's statements. Pablo Echenique posted the words of the former Barcelona mayor on social media and commented: "I no longer understand anything".
The future of Ada Colau
Pablo Iglesias has also criticized Colau's position given the rumours that she could end up as a Spanish government minister if a repeat of Spain's progressive coalition government between the Socialists and Sumar comes to pass. Colau maintains that, despite the pressure she has received, her plans do not include being a minister. "In this way, she implies that it is up to her to form part of the cabinet or not and that if she is not a minister it is only because she does not want to. Oh my!" said Iglesias.