Antonio Maíllo, the general coordinator of Izquierda Unida (IU), stated on Sunday that electricity companies may be concealing information from the government in order to construct a narrative that absolves them of responsibility for the power outage that occurred last Monday.

Speaking to the media in Mérida, Maíllo emphasized the need for Spain to have a '100 percent public' electricity network, countering the prevailing public opinion reflected in a recent CIS poll that suggested the government provided insufficient information during the blackout event.

While Maíllo praised the government's response, his comments have opened a new front of scrutiny for the administration as investigations into the causes of the blackout, which are expected to take weeks due to the extensive data that needs analysis, continue.

In a parallel interview published on the same day, Maíllo commended the rapid action by the government and the 'solidarity' of Spanish society.

However, he criticized the Red Eléctrica for needing to offer more explanations following the incident and expressed discontent with the opposition for allegedly attempting to undermine the government with unfounded excuses and conspiracy theories.

As investigations progress, Maíllo asserted that it is 'evident' that the Red Eléctrica did not meet expectations, attributing this failure not just to the blackout but also to the inadequacy of post-incident explanations.

He reiterated the necessity to 'review' Spain’s electricity model, a position shared by other leftist parties such as Podemos, framing this as a strategy to distinguish IU from the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE).

On Friday, Maíllo expressed his concerns regarding the electricity sector on social media, highlighting what he termed an 'anomaly' in Spain's energy framework.

He noted that previous public enterprises were privatized, suggesting that this privatization has contributed to issues of greed and opacity.

He underscored that having a public energy company is essential for a critical sector where incidents like the blackout should not occur.

In response to remarks by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who stated that Spain would never experience a blackout, Maíllo called for an unbiased investigation to determine how such a significant outage could happen, insisting that the findings must be rigorous enough to withstand scrutiny.

Maíllo also commented on a recent strain within the governing coalition over a contract to purchase ammunition from an Israeli company, revealing that the potential for IU to withdraw from the coalition was considered.

After the cancellation of this contract, he indicated that the issue was resolved but urged the PSOE to also cancel the remaining 46 contracts awarded to Israeli companies over the past year to prevent further discord.

Addressing ongoing tensions among coalition partners, Maíllo lamented the frequent conflicts between IU and PSOE during both the current and previous legislatures.

He acknowledged that the parliamentary landscape is not favorable for left-leaning parties but stressed the importance of managing the reality of governance rather than adhering to idealistic fantasies.

Regarding the political formation Sumar, Maíllo noted considerable confusion, clarifying that Izquierda Unida is not a member of the Sumar platform but part of the parliamentary group bearing its name.

He expressed disappointment with Sumar merging various groups under its banner rather than acknowledging individual entities.

He remained open to the possibility of a joint candidacy in future elections but insisted on establishing a 'democratic mechanism' for decision-making to ensure equitable representation.

Maíllo criticized previous electoral strategies as having been superseded by tendencies for unilateral decision-making and affirmed that building a broad front among leftist forces will be crucial for maintaining a progressive government in Spain.