Íñigo Errejón, spokesperson for the far left-wing party Sumar in the Spanish Congress, has announced his resignation from that position and his seat, and has announced his departure from institutional politics.
His resignation comes amid a wave of rumours on social media, where several women have alleged they were victims of abuse by an unnamed politician.
On October 24 on the social media platform X, Errejón said he he had been enduring personal issues with “psychological support” and had decided to “take a break to focus on [my] well-being”.
— Íñigo Errejón (@ierrejon) October 24, 2024
Journalist Cristina Fallarás – known for her far-left standpoint – shared an anonymous complaint from a woman who recounted alleged abuse by “a politician living in Madrid”.
Although Errejón was not named, some users interpreted the description as a reference to him. The anonymous accuser described the alleged perpetrator as “the indignant social activist” who “never shows up on International Women’s Day” and labelled him a “psychological abuser,” “psychopath” and “monster”.
The executive committee of Sumar issued an official statement announcing an internal investigation into the accusations circulating on social media against its now former member.
“Following this week’s reports, Sumar is initiating a process to gather information on the accusations that have been circulating, mainly on social media, about Íñigo Errejón,” a party statement read.
The news outlet Público covered the story with the headline: “Errejón resigns following accusations of gender violence.” The article also mentioned a similar anonymous accusation in June 2023, which was circulated on social media and later withdrawn after gaining significant attention.
Errejón was one of the founders of left-wing populist political party Podemos in 2014 and is well known for his role in shaping the ideological direction of the party during its early years.
A scholar of political theory and a disciple of sociologist Ernesto Laclau, Errejón was instrumental in the electoral strategy that established Podemos as a hard-left alternative party in Spain.
His relationship with Pablo Iglesias, then the party’s leader, gradually deteriorated due to political and strategic differences, ultimately leading to Errejón’s departure from Podemos in 2019 to form his own party, Más País.
With this new organisation, he sought to attract a moderate progressive electorate that he believed felt alienated by Podemos’ more radical stance.
More recently, Errejón joined the hard-left platform Sumar, led by Vice President Yolanda Díaz, assuming the role of spokesperson in Congress.
His departure represents a loss for Sumar, which is still working to establish itself in the Spanish parliament and vies with Socialists for left-leaning voters.
Spain’s left-wing Podemos party has abandoned the Socialist-led Sumar governing coalition, leaving Prime Minister Sánchez's fragile government in turmoil. https://t.co/t6didBI6Ne
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 7, 2023
