They paint enough for ERC to continue leading the Government. Not so much to remain in the Catalan Executive. If the polls hold true, the Republicans would fall to third position, but paradoxically they would hold the key to governability. The polls indicate that the PSC and Junts would be in the first two places on the podium in this Sunday’s elections. More electoral promises are broken than hearts, but socialists and post-convergents have been vetoed. This places Esquerra as key, which, on the contrary, has ruled out giving up on some and others.
“Do all roads pass through Rome? All roads pass through ERC”, they stated from the party these days.
Pere Aragonès has taken up the racket to return with a passing shot any attempt by journalists to get him to comment on whether he rules out Salvador Illa or Carles Puigdemont. The ERC candidate has always responded with the same thing, that he will link possible alliances to the acceptance of his main proposals: lay the foundations for a self-determination referendum, achieve self-financing for Catalonia, and reinforce the well-being of citizens and the language. Catalan.
It hasn’t moved from there. Yes, he has been clear when stating that even if he does not win if ERC is part of a next Government, it will not be with his presence. “For a person who has been president to become vice president of another Government, I believe that he does not strengthen the institution,” he stressed a few days ago. On the other hand, in the event that there was a Catalan Executive made up of the PSC and Junts, he left the door open to serving, he said, as head of the opposition.
In ERC they draw sociovergence as possible. They have resorted to this bogey during the campaign with the aim of demanding that the Catalan vote of the PSC led by Pasqual Maragall and the independence party be concentrated in Esquerra, “so that those of the cuts do not win”, in reference to Junts.
However, in the party chaired by Oriol Junqueras they are cautious and aware that results that would not give a majority to the independence bloc (ERC, Junts and CUP, leaving the Islamophobic Aliança Catalana on the sidelines if it enters Parliament) could cause some internal stress on ERC. There are indications that the leadership prefers to come to terms with JxCat –Marta Rovira assured on Thursday that she wants to “rebuild the independence unity”–. But there are sectors in the formation that are betting on an agreement with the PSC and the commons. They don’t even want to see Junts in painting.
Likewise, a setback in the number of votes and seats would also be an element of destabilization in Esquerra, even if a hypothetical third position would grant them the key to governability. Questioning the leadership would be on the table.
All in all, Aragonès has not given in at any time and has always maintained that he has a chance to make a splash. ERC’s first objective since 2017 has always been to stay above Junts. The president sees it as possible tomorrow and Junqueras has appealed on several occasions to self-love to turn around the polls.
Aragonès yesterday gave further proof that he does not give up anything. At the final campaign event in Tarragona, accompanied by the head of the district’s list, Raquel Sans, the president addressed the electorate who hesitate “between left or country, between advanced social policies or national freedoms”, to ensure that his option is Esquerra, because, as he said, it brings everything together.
