A little less than eleven hours before Junts opens the consultation to the militancy to settle whether the formation leaves the Government, Pere Aragonès has stressed to the post-convergents that he is convinced that there is still room to reach an understanding and agreements on the three points that JxCat put on the table to avoid the fracture. The head of the Government, today in Parliament, has focused on one of them: the coordination in Madrid between Esquerra and Junts. An aspect in which Aragonès, as he did during the general political debate last Tuesday, has willing to move forward as long as neither imposes the other. But above all, he has demanded “maximum loyalty” in case there is no break.
“In everything that is defense of the Government’s actions, you can count on us”, the president stated before stressing that they have to address “all the consequences” of the internal debate and consultation that is taking place in Junts. “An agreement that would make us the same after 15 days would not help”, he added. Therefore, for Aragonès, the ERC-Junts relationship must change in all areas under that premise of “maximum loyalty”, especially if in the end the decision of the post-convergence militancy is to remain in the Government. And they must “get 100% involved, not only the ministers, but also the political formations that support” the Catalan Executive, he has opined.
The president has thus responded to Albert Batet, leader of the Jxcat parliamentary group, who had demanded of him just before “responsibility and generosity” But Aragonès has killed two birds with one stone as he has also replied to the Minister of Research and Universities, Gemma Geis (JxCat), who in the control session with the Government had addressed him to demand greater coordination in Madrid.
Thus, Geis without hesitation, microphone in hand and in the hemicycle, has asked him to comply with the commitments made between ERC and JxCat in May 2021, for the investiture of Aragonès: “If we do not comply with the Government’s agreements, and I cannot guarantee that in Madrid we are going to defend the Catalan university system, I do not see myself capable of carrying out my tasks as Minister of Research and Universities. (…) I will not be able to do my job if we do not work on this complicity from here”. The intervention has sounded reproachful. She has also fired, although the result of the Junts consultation is favorable to remaining in the Government if that coordination does not take place.
It has been a session of control to the president of the Generalitat totally marked by the consultation to the militancy of Junts. The result of the vote will be known on Friday afternoon. All parliamentary groups have referred to this vote, from the PP and Cs, to the partners of the Government. Aragonès is watching her. Not in vain if the postconvergents leave, the president will have to reshape the Catalan Executive. Aragonès waits and meanwhile has shown a somewhat conciliatory tone. But in Junts weighs the dismissal last Wednesday of Jordi Puigneró as vice president of the Government.
Some interventions have taken the form of authentic órdagos. The commons, through their spokesman in Parliament, David Cid, have considered the Government “buried”. It is relevant insofar as En Comú Podem is the one with whom the Minister of Economy, Jaume Giro, is negotiating the 2023 budgets until today. “A week ago his coalition was blown up,” Cid assured while recalling that Yesterday, from the ranks of JxCat, it was stated that their Government “is fraudulent” (Laura Borràs) and that the best place to be an opposition is to be within the Government (Victòria Alsina, Minister of Foreign Action).
Aragonès has insisted that his will is for the current Government to continue, but he has said that he respects the internal processes of Junts. “He does not lead and is a spectator of the worst crisis that the Government is experiencing. (…). While you wait for Junts, the country waits for the president”, Cid criticized. Aragonès has replied: “Neither I nor the Government are waiting, we are acting”, he has highlighted, and has used to justify the package of 300 million euros to face the increase in inflation that he announced last week.
Salvador Illa has also been harsh with the head of the Catalan Cabinet. The first secretary of the PSC has reminded him that “it is very difficult to govern without a stable majority.” “And you have it broken”, he has affirmed. Even so, Illa has considered it remarkable that both the CUP and Junts reproach the president for not complying with the pacts. The same happens to the Catalan socialists, according to Illa, since the table of Catalan parties agreed for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez, in January 2020, between the PSOE and ERC, has still not been convened.
Illa recalled that on Friday, with the support of Esquerra, a resolution proposal from her group calling for the convening of a “space for dialogue” between Catalan parties was approved. Aragonès has gone into the nuances: table is not space, he has told Illa. In any case, the president of the Generalitat has recalled that he has been willing to convene it on several occasions, but provided that the PSC makes a specific proposal to resolve the political conflict.
