Negotiations for a coalition of the left alternative to the PSOE in Aragón have failed, resulting in three separate candidacies for the February 8, 2026, regional elections. Chunta Aragonesista, Podemos, and IU with Movimiento Sumar will compete independently, despite efforts for unity inspired by Extremadura's success. This fragmentation could scatter the progressive vote in a polarized political context.
The regional elections in Aragón, called early by President Jorge Azcón, have highlighted divisions in the left alternative to the PSOE. After intense negotiations ending on Friday, December 26, 2025, the deadline for registering coalitions expired without a global agreement. Instead, three candidacies emerged: Chunta Aragonesista (CHA) with Jorge Pueyo as head of the list for Zaragoza; Podemos, led by María Goicoechea, who received 88% support in primaries; and IU alongside Movimiento Sumar, with Marta Abengochea emphasizing that 'union is the best tool to guarantee policies that put people at the center'.
The failure is attributed to mutual vetoes, particularly from Podemos against Sumar, led by Yolanda Díaz. Amanda Meyer from IU criticized the 'irresponsible vetoes' from Podemos's national leadership, while the purple party regretted that its proposal, inspired by the Unidas por Extremadura model, was not accepted. In Extremadura, that coalition between IU and Podemos secured seven seats and 10.2% of the vote on December 21, with Irene de Miguel stating that 'unity is the path' against the right-wing parties.
CHA, for its part, rejected joining a 'partial unity born of vetoes and decisions taken outside this land', according to Isabel Lasobras, the party's general secretary. In the 2023 elections, these forces garnered 82,000 votes across three candidacies but won only five seats, fewer than Vox's seven with 72,000 votes. This division could recur in Castilla y León and Andalucía in 2026, where IU and Sumar plan coalitions without Podemos.
Pueyo's move, as a Sumar deputy in Congress, to CHA will alter balances in Sumar's parliamentary group, strengthening Díaz's position with 11 of 27 deputies.
