These are decisive moments for the fate of the current ERC-Junts coalition government of Catalonia. And the Junts party has taken a step back from its earlier maximum demand, renouncing the reinstatement of Jordi Puigneró as vice president of the government, after he was dismissed last week by president Pere Aragonès (ERC). But Aragonès is not satisfied with this gesture, according to sources from his team consulted by ElNacional.cat. At the government palace they also reject the central position that Junts proposes for the Carles Puigdemont-led exile body Council of the Republic in the new strategic direction, especially after the incidents seen at Saturday's rally to mark the fifth anniversary of the 1st October independence referendum, with the derisive whistling of former parliamentary speaker Carme Forcadell. ERC have demanded "serious proposals" from their partners. All this while the Junts executive was meeting today to decide the question of the consultation of its members, which is planned to take place this Thursday and Friday. And thus a tense match goes into injury time, with the result still in the air.
The change of posture on Puigneró comes after a weekend of talks at the highest level, between president Pere Aragonès and the general secretary of Junts, Jordi Turull, who tends to favour his party remaining in the executive. But no progress was made. The Junts team put their three main demands on the table: refocusing the dialogue table with the Spanish government, coordination positions in the Congress of Deputies and a new strategic direction for independence, similar to the so-called "general staff" of the 2017 process but with a role for the Council of the Republic, led by Carles Puigdemont. The proposal sent to Aragonès on Friday evening also included the restitution of Jordi Puigneró, a demand which was, in the end, crossed out.
But from Aragonès's team, the latest proposal from Junts is not seen as sufficient; moreover, they also complain that it arrived via WhatsApp on Sunday night, and not as part of the talks between Aragonès and Turull. These sources criticize that their partners "insist on allowing the strategic consensus to be guided by the Council of the Republic", a requirement that ERC rejects, especially after the events at Saturday's rally. An issue that, in spring 2021, put the coalition negotiations to form a government under a cloud, and which is now reappearing. "We could talk if there was a serious proposal, but they haven't put one," says ERC.
This very Monday, an ordinary Junts executive meeting was being held, with a key item on its agenda being the question to be posed to members. The party is divided between a 'Leave' sector in favour of abandoning the government, led by Laura Borràs, and those in favour of the 'Remain' option, led by Jordi Turull. This weekend there was also a significant gesture: the Catalan foreign minister, Victòria Alsina, nominated by Junts for her position but from outside its ranks, became a member of the party in order to defend the position of remaining in the executive.
Puigneró breaks the silence and Geis takes the reins
It was his of own free will. The Catalan vice president who was dismissed last Wednesday, Jordi Puigneró, has assured that if his reinstatement is a handicap to reaching an agreement with ERC, he will resign, and that in no case does he want to be a "stumbling block". In an interview with radio station RAC1 this Monday morning, the sacked vice-president emphasized that now the most important thing is that the three key points of the agreement that Junts proposed to the ERC should be fulfilled and accepted. Laura Borràs transmitted the same message in an interview with Catalunya Ràdio: "Puigneró himself asked us not to turn him into an obstacle in the possible negotiation".
In the meantime, there will be interim management of the ministry. Junts minister, Gemma Geis, head of the research and university ministries, will also provisionally take charge of the digital policies and territory portfolios, which were in the hands of Puigneró. In this way, paralysis of agreements and procedures that need the signature of the person in charge of this area will be prevented. The president of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, was planning to sign the order granting Geis these functions this Monday.