The territorial crisis erupts in Sumar at the most inopportune moment

The imminent departure of Compromís MP Àgueda Micó from the mixed group has undermined not only Sumar's parliamentary group, but also the narrative of plurinational unity on which Yolanda Díaz's project was founded, in which regional partners are not reflected in the state architecture of the space.

The debate over whether to leave or remain in Sumar is more alive than ever in two other parties: Més per Mallorca and Chunta Aragonesista. And it's all happening at the worst possible time for the confederal coalition, just when it needs to flex its muscles and cohesion to force the PSOE into a social shift that will save, or at least prolong as much as possible, the remainder of the legislature.

It was in early June when, following Sumar's refusal to summon Pedro Sánchez to testify before the DANA commission, Compromís—a coalition that has two deputies and includes the Més (the majority), Iniciativa, and VerdsEquo parties—threatened for the first time to leave the coalition to "guarantee its full autonomy in defending Valencian interests."

After weeks of intense negotiations, Sumar regained some of the party's confidence. A preliminary agreement was even reached that included political autonomy, parliamentary visibility, and a free vote for Compromís.

However, coinciding with the revelations about the corruption scandal involving the former number three of the PSOE, Santos Cerdán, Més Compromís decided to break away, citing the need for more tools to oversee the PSOE, something that – they claimed – was not possible within the confederal group.

Neither Sumar nor Iniciativa, which has decided that its deputy Alberto Ibañez will continue in the plurinational group, believe these explanations. And they agree, separately, in revealing that the agreement on the table was not only satisfactory, but also "offered even more guarantees than initially requested." Thus, they suggest that behind Més Compromís' decision lies a "simple, but erroneous, electoral calculation to distance itself from the PSOE and the coalition government in the event that Carlos Mazón and/or Pedro Sánchez decree early elections."

"It's a sin not to know how to look beyond one's own navel when the important thing is to insulate the government from the corruption of the PSOE in order to sustain the only progressive government in Europe," they lament.

In any case, Micó's departure has been resounding, but also clarifying. Because what has been broken is not just a bond with a regional partner, but the very idea that a broad, multinational coalition could function stably in Congress without becoming a collection of individual interests. This is precisely what the executive committees of Més per Mallorca and Chunta Aragonesista, annoyed at seeing their territorial demands "repeatedly overshadowed," will debate over the next few days before making an irreversible decision.

The training admits mistakes and reinforces respect for the progressive forces that already exist in the territories.

Sumar, for its part, has not shied away from self-criticism this time. It admits that the organization that was born just two years ago with the aim of becoming a common home needs, now more than ever, to strengthen its foundations so that its "political action is sensitive to the specific demands of society, while respectful of the transformative progressive formations that already exist in these places."

As its co-general coordinator, Lara Hernández, explains to La Vanguardia , "building a common path while respecting territorial diversity requires a great deal of dialogue, agreements, and the need to reconcile perspectives to move forward together. These are different rhythms."

This need to articulate a left capable of speaking from many perspectives, but with a single voice, is now urgent for Sumar to halt the division of power and reverse the negative trend in the polls. Whether for the remainder of the legislative term or to renegotiate the terms of a new coalition in the future.

The problem with building on the fly, Hernández admits, is that “sometimes things have to move slower in order to go further.”

Sumar loses weight and the mixed group becomes complicated

Àgueda Micó's departure from the mixed group forces a reshuffle of forces in Congress. Sumar now has 26 deputies—five fewer than it had on June 23—following the departures of Podemos at the start of the term, and now Més-Compromís. Meanwhile, the mixed group grows to nine members—four deputies from Podemos, one from Coalición Canaria, one from UPN, one from the BNG, and former minister Ábalos. This will force all of them to renegotiate their speaking times and the positions they will hold on the various parliamentary committees. In other words, Micó will not only lose presence by leaving the second row of the chamber to occupy a seat in the roost, but also because she will have to give up the spokesperson position on the DANA committee, which she held by virtue of her role in Sumar.