Anna Erra (Vic, 1965) attends La Vanguardia after being elected, on Friday, president of the Parliament of Catalonia, a position she holds after a ten-month interim in the institution. Vice-president of Junts since its foundation and a teacher for more than twenty years, next week, after eight years, she will leave the mayorship of Vic.
He will tour Catalonia and wants the Parliament to be an institution open to the municipalities.
Sometimes it seems to us that the institutions are far away and perhaps the Parliament looks very far away. I come from the local area and one of the things that is most valued is proximity, that the reason for an institution, its relevance and its function is understood. One way to get closer is for them to see you as useful, to listen, to understand what is happening in the towns and what needs there may be; so that this then reaches the groups and we can make laws that improve people’s lives.
What will be the characteristic features of his presidency?
It will be seen. But above all it is recognized that there is a political conflict. I will ask the deputies to be loyal to the institution in the face of political and legal interference coming from Madrid. We must keep the sovereignty of Parliament strong. The things that are decided here must be preserved and maintained. It is not worth the double game that what is not won here politically is achieved from behind and judicialization is sought.
How can it be done?
We know it’s a big challenge. First we should recognize that this conflict is there. If we are all more aware of it, there will be more strength to preserve what is decided here and to ensure that there is freedom and sovereignty in the institution to debate whatever it is.
Ask the groups?
Faced with all the legacy we have of the judicialization of the institution, it seems to me that it is up to us to reflect on the majority of groups that are clear that there is a conflict and look for a solution.
He has talked about changing laws that conflict with UN resolutions.
An update of the regulations is already in process, in the report, in which there are things that must be updated, improved and debated.
But these resolutions refer to state regulations.
If we want to be heard in Madrid, we must have a good representation of Catalan parties who are clear that what they will do there is to defend the sovereignty of our institutions and our country.
He also demands that Catalan be used in Parliament.
Although it is official, Catalan is a minority language. It can only be saved if people talk about it. As the country’s language, I want it to be defended, and the best way is for it to be used. That’s why I made an appeal.
She was elected with the votes of Junts and ERC. Does it help rebuild the bridges between both parties?
It is important. But it must be the pro-independence parties that got the majority who see that bridges need to be rebuilt, that we need to be clear about the objectives for which the public voted for us. The pro-independence parties will only be able to better defend the rights of our country more together and united.
The previous presidency of the House sometimes seemed like a counter-power to the Executive.
We have to see the difference. The president who was there was a candidate to be president of the country and competed for another position. My will is above all to be president of this Chamber.
Does he think it would have been better to take the presidency in July and avoid the interim?
They wanted to show that the situation is not normal, it shows the anomaly and the constant complaint that there is a conflict because people are being removed from the institutions. We were clear that until it was certain that there was nothing to do we would preserve it. We had hoped that Laura Borràs would occupy it again.
The Parliament has been the protagonist in matters of internal regime, such as licenses by age or the allowances of deputies.
There are a bunch of topics that have been worked on, in some cases they are more paralyzed, in others more advanced. We’ll see how everything is, I’ll catch up. Parliament is an institution that must set an example and we must look at things rigorously. We will do the best for the institution.
So far she has been a discreet leader in Junts. His new position exposes him more.
I would say that they are ways of doing things and everyone has their own way of doing politics or expressing themselves. I am clear that for now what I will say, or when I have to address the public, will be like the figure I now represent.
But it is the second authority in Catalonia and the most senior institutional figure in JxCat. Will it have more prominence?
Maybe it’s not so much time to talk about the party, but I’m already the first vice-president and discretion doesn’t shy away from working, collaborating or acting with my style and my way of being to help the party.
Municipalities have fared better in places where they have had a more pragmatic discourse. Do you think this is the line to follow?
One of the things I can extract from the municipal elections, because I would like to look at it as an institution, is the concern about abstention. This is the review we all need to do; ask us why this happened.
The most accused of abstention was independence.
I would say that with this people give you some readings and you need to extract some answers from them. What is appropriate is to sit down, have a dialogue and move forward together to continue the process that began on October 1.
In 2015 he won in Vic and agreed with the PSC, but in recent years there has been noise with these agreements.
The important thing is that each municipality has autonomy. What happened in 2015 was before 2017, but at the local level, municipal issues can be very well differentiated from national issues. In each place they know their relationships and I don’t think there is any guideline to agree with one party or another. It is agreed with whom you can complement each other better.
Is it the same as the deputations?
We must understand that this is a management body and we must see which forces can provide the most response or solution to the area they include.
In the Parliament there is also harmony between the two spaces.
The important thing is the subject being debated and what will be discussed. When a party decides to vote in favor of something, it is because it simply believes it is the best. It seems to me that what Junts has done is to think, more now that he is out of Government, but also when he was in, about the problems that really need to be fixed.
Given the departure of the Government in perspective, was it a success?
That decision was made perhaps because there was a situation that could no longer be endured. What is shown is the maturity of the Junts party, wherever it is it continues to work for the country.
