In the final stretch to May 12, Pedro Sánchez once again activated yesterday in Catalonia one of the levers that works best to mobilize the socialist voter, which is to stir up fear of the right. He did it in Vilanova i la Geltrú, at a rally with the PSC candidate, Salvador Illa, in which he proclaimed that “the best way to stop the extreme right, the independence movement, the Spanish movement of Vox and the Popular Party of Feijóo, is to vote for the Socialist Party and for Illa as president of the Generalitat.”
Sánchez opened his intervention focused on Catalonia. “When Salva (Illa) talks about a lost decade it is true, from different governments, four pro-independence presidents, whether from ERC or JxCat, in these ten years, where have they placed Catalonia in education? From head to tail. Or in drought. Or in the deployment of renewable energies, which is synonymous with the reindustrialization of a territory, or in health, or in infrastructure,” he stated. For this reason, he appealed to the socialists to ask “neighbors, co-workers and family” to vote.
“Do we want four more years of paralysis or open a new stage of agreements between parties?” he asked, marking distances between the PSC project and that of its adversaries Junts and ERC. “I only see Salvador Illa who aspires to govern, the others only aspire to block,” he stressed.
“I have been general secretary of the PSOE since 2014 and I remember how two right-wing presidents, in Moncloa and Palau, led Catalonia and Spain to the greatest territorial bankruptcy of the last 45 years,” he said, referring to Mariano Rajoy and Artur Mas. . “And with them I tell Catalan society that with socialist presidents in Moncloa and in Palau, Catalonia and Spain, the next four years will be unstoppable,” he added.
Sánchez spoke about Catalonia, but he did not forget that the great metropolitan area of ??Barcelona is where a progressive vote is concentrated, more motivated to go to the polls in general elections than in Catalan elections. And he directed the artillery towards a rival who does not sit in Parliament but in Congress.
“What do we have in front of us? What project does the PP have? More far-right parties than ever are running in these elections in Catalonia. The pro-independence extreme right, the Spanish ultra-right of Vox, and, seen and heard, also Feijóo’s PP,” he assured. She explained that “they trivialize gender violence where they govern with the extreme right in other territories of Spain” and recalled that the Socialist Party is feminist, which is why she asked “women to vote for the Socialist Party on May 12, en masse.” ”.
Along with feminism, Sánchez also brandished another of the flags that separates the socialists from the right, such as the discourse and policies on immigration: “They identify immigration with insecurity and where they govern with the extreme right, they approve laws, as in the Valencian Community or Aragón, which review the history of democracy,” he assured. “They have equated victims with executioners, dictatorship with democracy,” he added, making it clear that the force with which the extreme right is reaching the final stretch of the campaign has put all parties on guard.
And what the PSOE leader calls “the mud machine” could not be missing from his speech, in reference to “the insults, defamations and hoaxes” of the right. “They can throw all the mud they want at us, with their hoax machine. They do it to hide their antisocial program. But despite the mud we are going to beat them! ”He said.
In her speech, Illa defended that “a new stage must be opened that is explained with two verbs: unite and serve. “We want to unite Catalans and unite Catalans with the rest of Spaniards.” And he called on the socialists not to trust themselves. “We have to continue mobilizing because Catalonia has a lot at stake.”
He also recognized the work of the President of the Government with Catalonia. “You have never failed Catalonia. And it was not easy, with the inheritance we received. With vision, with dialogue and with courage and leadership you have managed to help us and Catalonia move forward. In some very difficult years and progressing economically,” he said.
