The leader of the PSC, Salvador Illa, is above all a discreet man who takes that attitude to its highest levels, and although he has become the right hand of the acting Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, in many matters, especially in the related to Catalonia, he does not release any pledge on the possible negotiations with Junts per Catalunya -and ERC- for the investiture of the socialist leader. Not in vain, his calculated silences on the dialogue with the pro-independence formations show that he has and will have a very relevant role that allows him to be “moderate optimist” with the success of a company that for the Catalan leader represents an “opportunity to look forward ” and in favor of “coexistence in Catalonia”, in other words, to bury the ‘procés’ definitively.
Illa imposes “discretion” and “constant and methodical work” in favor of the majority that facilitates the inauguration of Sánchez, “doing more than saying, acting more than speaking”, as he reiterates, which entails the admission that he and his party They will dialogue, if they are not already doing so, with the pro-independence parties to that end. At the moment, the PSC leader assures that he has not established any type of direct contact with former president Carles Puigdemont, who claims to be Junts’ interlocutor in this matter, a role that Illa respects “how could it be otherwise”.
The discretion and silence of the PSC leader extends to everything that has to do with an ineffable amnesty law to date, even to assess whether this demand by Junts and ERC would have a constitutional place. “We look forward, with discretion, practicing dialogue, with the framework of coexistence that is the Constitution. I won’t say more”, he has resolved before each question on this matter.
In the first press conference at the PSC headquarters of the new political cycle, Illa has even ignored the clear acceptance that his fellow ranks, former president José Montilla, made about the amnesty in an interview in La Vanguardia this Sunday. “President Montilla said that you have to work prudently” but “the electoral results in Catalonia were what they were,” he recalled, thus showing that the majority of Catalans supported the policies of the PSC and the Sánchez government. “We are sure that the different political formations will know how to find the way to respect what the citizens decided on July 24, in a very majority way in Catalonia”, he has claimed.
Illa’s silence when assessing the constitutionality or not of this measure contrasts with her assessment of what an agreement with the pro-independence parties through amnesty would mean. “A moment is offered that is an opportunity to look forward” and to “guarantee coexistence”, he pointed out. And now avoiding shelving a proposal that the Socialists have always denied, it is clear that amnesty is on the table, even though he insists on “respect for the rule of law.”
The prudent optimism imposed by the leader of the PSC contrasts with the attitude that Sumar is taking in this matter. The second vice president of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, has confirmed this Monday that her party has put a group of jurists to work to analyze the legal reserve of an amnesty law, she has even shown a constitutional gateway to this norm, pointing to article 666.4 of the Criminal Procedure Law (Lecrim). Nothing to do with the ways of the Catalan leader, who she considers that this attitude responds to a desire for leadership of the Díaz formation and the Catalan party that supports it, the commons.
Illa’s prudent optimism is reinforced by what she considers will clearly be a failed investiture by Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Although he admits that the PP leader has “every right” to seek the necessary support, he is convinced that his effort will be wasted because he has tied himself to Vox. “He has linked his fate to Vox and is a barrier to other political formations”, therefore the popular leader’s efforts “seem to respond more to despair than conviction”, the socialist opined.
Faced with the new political course, Illa has already launched the political machinery of her party with the Government of Pere Aragonès between her eyebrows. On September 7 and 8, the so-called alternative government of the PSC will meet in Vielha (Val d’Aran) to make an “exhaustive” assessment of the degree of compliance with the budget agreements with the Catalan Executive.
The PSC leader does not seem very satisfied with the degree of execution of these agreements and hoped that this summer the Government would speed up some of the pending measures, including some related to infrastructure, but he considers that this has not been the case. Even so, he will consult with the Catalan Cabinet before issuing a final assessment, warning, yes, that the “credibility” of the president “is at stake.”
Another of the dates marked in red on the calendar is September 24, when the PSC will celebrate the traditional Festa de la Rosa in the Gavà pine forest.
