ERC has had no doubt when it came to rejecting any possibility of a unitary independence list with Junts. The idea has been suggested by Carles Puigdemont, although in his conference from Elna this Thursday he has implied that it is practically impossible just because of the tight electoral calendar. The elections to the Parliament are on May 12. There aren’t even two months left. In any case, the Republicans wanted to clear up any doubt as soon as the former president finished his intervention. “After JxCat abandoned the 52% [independence] Government or voted against the most social budgets in the history of this country, proposing a unitary list amid reproaches is repeating past mistakes,” Esquerra sources say.
The party chaired by Oriol Junqueras is loaded with reasons. They argue that the “country model” they defend is different from that of the post-convergents. The first argument is close: the Catalan budget. Those of Jordi Turull demanded the abolition of the inheritance tax. “It will always be a red line,” they say in Esquerra.
In the same way, Esquerra does not like JxCat’s latest speeches about the expulsion of repeat immigrants. “We hope that Puigdemont returns as soon as possible and talks about the model of country that he wants,” they emphasize in this sense from the republican formation.
Furthermore, the Calabria headquarters did not like the intervention from Elna by the former president of the Generalitat. He used “mediocrity” and “sectarianism” to covertly refer to ERC. He has reproached Pere Aragonès for calling the Parliament elections on a day different from the European elections (June 9). And they consider it incongruous that he proposed the unitary list at the same time that “he has not stopped attacking ERC.” Likewise, regarding Puigdemont’s statement that running together is the most “powerful” tool, the party recalls that with JxSI they obtained 62 seats; separately they got 66 deputies in 2017 and 65 in 2021.
ERC’s position is not new. Neither does Junts’. Since 2017, Esquerra has bandied about and rejected the continuous calls from the post-convergent sphere to run together in the various elections to the Parliament.
However, their opposition does not imply that they renounce post-electoral alliances. Pere Aragonès has already made it clear in recent days that his preferred option is to form a government with Junts. “There are spaces to remake bridges and we are delighted that these bridges can be replaced,” they point out from ERC. “From the outset, supporting the proposal of the Government and the president for singular financing. If they really want to rebuild the unity of action, they should begin by joining” this request, they add.
The Republicans also call on Puigdemont to make it clear whether they would support a Government chaired by Aragones or “will continue to prioritize pacts with other actors”, alluding to Junts’ parliamentary understanding with the PSC.
“We celebrate that the pro-independence centre-right now has a candidate, that it is now also betting on the agreed referendum and that it is Carles Puigdemont who will once again head the list for the third time. We wish him the best and that the pro-independence movement achieves a good result,” they conclude. Esquerra.
