Salvador Illa has in front of him the task of convincing ERC to fight his votes in the investiture, but the republicans are facing an internal pescom crisis as a result of the results of 12-M, to which is added a new electoral campaign, that of the European elections on 9-J. Consequently, the leader of the PSC avoids adding pressure to them and offers “all the time” necessary for ERC to clarify its path. No rush, but no pause. It is about the party of Oriol Junqueras “reorienting its political line” to facilitate a “stable” government, with progressive convictions.
“We give time for us to reorient or reaffirm the political line to be followed”, Illa pointed out yesterday in an interview with Ser in the face of the crisis open to ERC, a formation with which he showed “enormous respect” and of which he recognized “the relevant role that has and will have in Catalan politics”.
Illa reiterated his determination to work to achieve the investiture “with an inclusive will” and praised the “very dignified” behavior of Pere Aragonès for his resignation after the ERC electoral fraud. “There is time”, therefore, to undertake the objective “following the guidelines dictated by the Statute” and with high doses of “discretion”, he pointed out, as a result of the new appointment with the ballot boxes.
On the contrary, Illa closes the door to the possibility of leaving his votes to invest Carles Puigdemont, as he tries to extend the PP. Although he also expressed his respect for the former president and his party, the socialist leader appealed to the “principle of reality”, which in his opinion dictates a left-wing agreement to allow his inauguration and training of a “stable” government.
Nevertheless, he remembered that Puigdemont “said he would go”. “We’ll see if he does it and when. And if it happens, how does your political space deal with the situation”, he commented. In fact, the PSC do not hide that “the grant holder” after Illa’s investiture would precisely be Puigdemont’s definitive political resignation.
And the fact is that the former president threatens to bring down the Spanish legislature if he does not get the presidency, which is why Illa issued a warning: “It would be a colossal political mistake, which would also have electoral consequences for whoever proposed it.”
Criticism was extended to the PP, which accused it of “leaving aside 20% of the population of Spain”, i.e. Catalonia, with its policies to attract “votes” to the rest of the State, when “what they should do is a policy that aligns with the will of the majority of Catalans” because the PP “is still out of touch with reality in Catalonia”.
The first step towards the investiture is the formation of the Bureau and the election of the President of the Parliament. The leader of the PSC insists on discretion, but assures that “we are already working on it” and defends that the body that regulates the Catalan Chamber “must reflect plurality”. In this way, it should “predictably” represent the eight groups with seats in Parliament. Illa’s approach is to act with an “open mind” and make it “compatible” with the European election campaign.
Regarding the configuration of the new government, Illa believes that there are “different options”. Although he would prefer to rule alone, he insists on not advancing screens. “We give time”, he insisted. For him, it is key to set up a stable government with “progressive convictions”, but he says that he is “open to dialogue, with generosity, with all political formations, except those that promote hate speeches”, he clarified.
The socialist leader believes that the Catalan political cycle has changed. After the collapse of the blocs that gave rise to the pro-independence process, we are facing a “change of ground” and the 12-M “claims a calm way of doing politics, with a different language, away from the constant tension and the worst better”. Contrary to what in his opinion the PP advocates and Junts intends, “there is more talk about the process in Madrid and the PP than in Catalonia”.
“What corresponds now, and the voters endorse it, are public services, and this is management but also politics”, defends Illa, because “it is what allows prosperity and social justice”. A clearly progressive plan.
