The initiative of the PSC to eliminate the allocations after the termination and the life pension of the former presidents of the Parliament has opened the debate on this type of “privileged” benefits, as recognized by the majority of political groups, who still perceive other public positions. With nuances, all the Catalan parties agree on the need to put an end to the prebends of those who hold the second Catalan authority, but the idea has made it inevitable to question, in passing, other prerogatives, such as the one that comes with the position of president .
The socialist proposal is limited to the presidency of the Parliament. Raised at the end of the trial of the currently suspended president, Laura Borràs, it promotes eliminating the salary supplement after leaving office – of 80% of the salary – and the lifetime pension they can receive after they reach the age of 65. The PSC’s law proposal remains here with the aim of fixing the debate on the situation of “discredit” and “interimity” that affects the Catalan Chamber, but to this initiative have been added in the last few hours two, from En Comú Podem and Ciutadans, which go further, and affect the presidency of the Generalitat, councilors and the leader of the opposition.
Yesterday, the commons presented a proposal for a law amending the statute of the presidents of the Generalitat, a rule that includes the rights and prerogatives of the first Catalan authority – office, assignment and lifetime pension -, in which they propose the “automatic” revocation ” when the head of the Government or the president of the Parliament is convicted in a final sentence for a crime related to corruption.
The current rule allows the personal renunciation of these prerogatives – Jordi Pujol did it in 2014 -, as well as the revocation by Parliament, in which it must have the support of two thirds of the House, but those of Jéssica Albiach they warn of “the shame” of finally having “the country’s second authority condemned” for “a clear case of alleged corruption”. The aim is, therefore, to prevent Borràs or any president of the Parliament or the Generalitat from receiving public resources if he is convicted of “personal or third-party profit, embezzlement, falsification of documents, influence peddling or illegal financing of parties “.
The commons had prepared this proposal for days, aware in advance of the PSC’s initiative, and they trust that the socialists, who have two former presidents of the Generalitat who enjoy these prerogatives –Pasqual Maragall and José Montilla–, will also support to his approach. “It’s common sense” because “before the presidents lasted 20 years, but not now”, claimed the spokesman David Cid yesterday.
Its spokeswoman, Alicia Romero, “agreed” because “no one should be able to receive benefits if they are convicted of corruption”, but warned that the case of the presidency of the Parliament is “different” because the The “discredit” of the institution occurs “now”, with a suspended president, who has an open trial and has not resigned from the post, he remarked.
To the proposal of the commons was also added that of Ciutadans, which proposed two regulatory modifications to eliminate all temporary assignments and lifetime pensions of the presidents of the Government and Parliament – without the transitional periods of six months proposed by the PSC–, remove them also for ex-councillors, and put an end to the extra remuneration that the head of the opposition can currently receive. In this case, the rule was promoted in 2008 by Maragall, but neither Artur Mas, nor Inés Arrimadas, nor Carlos Carrizosa nor Salvador Illa requested it.
Along with Maragall and Montilla, three other presidents have the right to this type of prerogative: Mas, Carles Puigdemont and Quim Torra, and while in the Government of Aragon they do everything the Parliament decides, in Junts per Catalunya they denounce the ” opportunism” of this kind of proposals.