The candidate for the left-wing Comuns Sumar candidacy in the European elections, Jaume Asens, has argued this Friday at a media conference in Tarragona that a progressive majority should be the goal on Monday when the MPs in the new Parliament of Catalonia vote to constitute the chamber's governance organ, the Bureau. Throughout his speech, Asens stated that "a progressive sum is viable" and that it should be "reflected" in the choice of the speaker for the Catalan chamber (who is also head of the Bureau), a position which "does not need to be in the hands of the Socialists". In fact, Asens, who is number two on Sumar's Spain-wide list for Sunday's elections to the European chamber, went further and emphasized that a Bureau led by the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) is a scenario that "does not displease". In any case, he urged discretion and recalled that the parliamentary Bureau must be "an object of negotiation", stressing that the decision does not depend on him and that it is the negotiating commission of his political party that takes care of talks on such matters.
Despite the Comuns' results in the Catalan election of May 12th, when it lost two seats, close attention is being paid to the party led by Jéssica Albiach and the six deputies it will have in the new Parliament. The radical-left, pro-independence CUP has met with them to try and agree on an "anti-repressive Bureau" which would also include the other pro-independence groups, Junts+ and ERC, a formula that appeals to the Republicans. The "anti-repressive" concept is also appreciated by the Comuns, although they would also add the Catalan Socialists (PSC) to this majority. With less than 72 hours left until the constitutive session of the new Parliament, negotiations between the parties continue and it seems likely that, if agreement is reached, it will not be known until Monday itself, the day after the European elections. The Junts executive held an extraordinary meeting this Friday to discuss the state of the negotiations with ERC and the leadership stated its confidence in the president in exile, Carles Puigdemont, who is leading these talks.
Summing the deputies of the two main pro-independence parties would yield a total of 55 deputies, arithmetic to which the CUP could be added, with its four votes, given that they have also expressed their desire to articulate an alternative majority to the PSC on the Bureau. Thus, a total of 59 on the pro-independence side. On the other hand, if the Comuns reached an agreement with the PSC, their sum would remain at 48 deputies, less than the independentist bloc. In this instance, the PSC could exceed the pro-independence total if they were to incorporate the 15 votes of the People's Party (PP). The Comuns, however, reject taking this step and it seems that neither the PSC nor the PP seem to want to do it.
Asens rails against the "demagogy and insults" of Vox and Ciudadanos
On the last day of the campaign in Spain for the European elections, Jaume Asens made an assessment of the election campaign and took the opportunity to criticise right-wing parties Vox and Ciudadanos for the "demagogy and insults" they have offered in some election debates. However, he considers that the general climate has been one of "cordiality and respect" with the other political parties. The former congressional MP urged the "Catalanist" forces to work together to defend "what unites them" and the "interests of Catalonia" in the European Parliament: "Catalonia has been strong in the past when we have worked from these areas of loyalty and when the interest of the country has prevailed over the interests of the parties".