Podemos MPs leave left-wing Sumar coalition in Spanish Congress
Socialist spokesperson says crisis will not affect government
Podemos MPs in Congress announced on Tuesday that they were leaving the left-wing Sumar parliamentary group with immediate effect.
The Sumar electoral coalition was formed by Spain's second vice president Yolanda Díaz ahead of July's general election, effectively displacing the previous left-wing group Unidas Podemos.
Podemos burst onto the political scene as an anti-austerity party in 2014, in the wake of the financial crisis, but became increasingly marginalized by Sumar this year and ended up not being in charge of any ministries in the new Spanish government, a coalition of the Socialists and Sumar.
With the loss of the five Podemos MPs, Sumar's representation will drop to 26 from 31.
Podemos spokesperson, MP Javier Sánchez Serna stated that the Socialists and Sumar had "expelled" Podemos from the Spanish government.
Podemos general secretary Ione Belarra posted on X that it was a "difficult" step but "indispensable to continue transforming our country," because "a feminist, ecological and transformative left is needed."
Podemos will now move to the so-called mixed group for congressional proceedings, joining the three solitary MPs from the Galician Nationalist Bloc, the Navarrese People's Union and the Canarian Coalition.
Sumar accuse Podemos of disloyalty
The spokesperson for Sumar in Congress, Marta Lois, said that Podemos' decision to leave its parliamentary group represented a "great disloyalty" to voters and a "flagrant breach" of the July electoral coalition agreement.
"We are very surprised and regret the decision of Podemos to leave the group," Lois said, adding they "found out about it this afternoon through the media" and "had not given any kind of political explanation beforehand."
The split between Sumar and Podemos may also affect Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's majority. Including Podemos, his reelection had the support of 179 MPs, three more than needed for an absolute majority.
The Socialists' spokesperson Patxi López did not show any concern about the matter on Tuesday, saying "no one on the left will slow down or paralyze the action of a progressive government."