The Balearic federation Ara Més is claiming the first place on a possible joint list of left-wing forces in the Balearic Islands in the parliamentary election on 29 November 2026 and does not want a lead candidate from Podemos. Representatives of the sovereigntist movement announced this, according to Europa Press, on 14 October. Ara Més brings together MÉS per Mallorca, Més per Menorca and Ara Eivissa.
The position comes amid ongoing talks on electoral alliances in the island constituencies. According to Ara Més, a joint candidacy should prevent left-wing voters’ support from being split across several small lists, resulting in lost seats. On 7 October, the federation had already proposed a single list of left-wing forces in the Balearic Islands and indicated that it wanted to lead it.
Other parties are also exploring opportunities for cooperation. Esquerra Unida has, according to its own account, proposed talks with Ara Més, Podemos and Sumar . There have also been reports of contacts between the Socialist Party PSOE and MÉS on a joint Senate candidacy on individual islands. No concrete agreements are in place so far; the make-up of any potential lists will depend on further negotiations.
Ara Més’s rejection of a Podemos lead candidate is a clear position. Whether this condition prevails in an agreement with other parties remains to be seen. Ultimately, the decisive factors are the timely submission and scrutiny of the lists under Spanish electoral law. Official candidate lists had not yet been published at the time of writing.
If a joint left-wing list is formed, it could improve the chances of winning seats in the Balearic constituencies. In small multi-member constituencies such as those on the islands, the concentration of votes often determines whether smaller parties enter the Congress of Deputies. Conversely, if alliance talks fail, the fragmentation of the left will become entrenched, leaving larger parties with structural advantages.
Ara Més’s public position therefore marks an intermediate step in the run-up to the election on 29 November 2026. The coming days will show whether it leads to a viable alliance, as parties conclude their negotiations and formalise their candidacies.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).