Catalan pro-independence party Together for Catalonia (Junts) has cooled off expectations for the immediate investiture of Pere Aragonès as president of a new Catalan government. Three days before the deadline for the first investiture vote and when Aragonès's party the Republican Left (ERC) has already closed a pre-agreement with third pro-independence party the CUP, the general secretary of Junts, Jordi Sànchez, has issued a strong warning to the Republicans: a deal on a stable government has not yet been achieved and negotiations need to continue.
He spoke as part of a conference in Barcelona, entitled A government to do, a government to be, taking advantage of a leave permit to spend some time outside Lledoners prison where is serving his sedition sentence. Listening in the front row of the ONCE Auditorium were the speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Laura Borràs (Junts) and all the current Junts ministers; also present were acting vice president and candidate for the presidency, Pere Aragonès (ERC), with Republican spokesperson, Marta Vilalta, in addition to CUP deputies Eulàlia Reguant and Laia Estrada. Among the small audience allowed were also the vice president of Òmnium, Marcel Mauri, and the president of the ANC, Elisenda Paluzie.
Vice president Pere Aragonès and CUP deputy Eulàlia Reguant hearing Sànchez speak / Sergi Alcàzar
Junts will not speculate with the risk of new elections
Sànchez reiterated to Aragonès his support for a new government and said that Junts "will not speculate or gamble on the calculation of new elections or propose a candidate, or impose conditions on who should be the ERC candidate," but the party would work for Catalonia to have a strong new executive, with leadership capacity, and determined to respond to emergencies that threaten the country and the resolution of the political conflict with the state. "More than 3,000 people facing reprisals are not an anecdote and cannot leave us indifferent,” he warned.
The Junts general secretary made clear his party's commitment to an agreement with ERC and the CUP but urged pro-independence forces to question whether they are in a position to form a "strong and stable government" right now and whether they are in conditions to respond to the mandate given by the voters, with 52% of the popular vote in favour of moving decisively towards independence.
Days or weeks of more negotiation
"I would like to say 'yes' and say it without conditions, but at the moment this is still not possible. From Junts we are convinced that soon, in the coming days or weeks, we will be able to say yes, without fear of making mistakes and without the risk of falling into experiences we have already been through of disloyalties and permanent tensions," he explained.
Sànchez gave his warning on the day that speaker of the house Borràs opened the round of consultations with the parties aimed at specifying a candidate for the investiture. Borràs will tomorrow meet the representative of Junts, Albert Batet. The first investiture vote is due to take place on Friday. At the same time, the CUP plans to confirm the pre-agreement made with ERC, made public on Sunday evening, through a consultation with party membership this Wednesday.
Sànchez and Aragonès greet each other / Sergi Alcazar
An agreement for the legislature
The general secretary of Junts warned that the opportunity presented to the pro-independence parties after the unquestionable victory at the polls cannot be missed. "The emergencies of this country, however, are not resolved only with an investiture agreement. Stability requires us to have a agreement for the legislature," he asserted.
From there, he outlined the proposals that his party is pushing for the new government from a social point of view and at the end of this review insisted: "We do not need commitments that are devoid of content, or even less, blind endorsements."
Sànchez called on his political colleagues to learn from the mistakes of recent years, which must not be repeated, he recalled the roller coaster experience of the Pasqual Maragall tripartite government 15 years ago, as quoted on Monday by his fellow party member, Elsa Artadi, and said that he "did not want a Vietnam". He acknowledged that the independence movement today does not yet have a single strategy but assured that the different parties are also much closer than some - "outside Catalonia" - want to believe.
Jordi Sànchez during the conference / Sergi Alcàzar
Council for the Republic
Sànchez did not avoid one of the most controversial points in the lack of an understanding with ERC: the exile body, the Council for the Republic. He recalled ERC's proposals to promote the process of forming the body, reading excerpts from the book written jointly by Oriol Junqueras and Marta Rovira, and asserted that it is within the framework of the Council for the Republic that there must be debate, promotion and the formation of consensus among the main pro-independence actors.
“On this path Junts is prepared to give a sincere and loyal opportunity to the current ERC-driven dialogue table,” he assured, while insisting on “deep skepticism” on the matter. In fact, Jordi Sànchez recalled that today the PSOE blocked the amnesty law proposal presented by the pro-independence parties in the Spanish Congress's Bureau, allying with the PP and Vox. But, nevertheless, the Junts secretary assured his willingness to side with ERC in its commitment to dialogue with the state.
"It won't be stuck because of us"
At the same time, however, he called for other avenues to be prepared so that "the credibility of this table will not be eternal" and he called for measures to be taken to gauge the progress made within the framework of the collegiate management proposed.
"I am convinced that there is nothing that has to prevent a legislature agreement in the coming days and weeks. Generosity is needed to make this legislature agreement possible," he warned in the final stretch of the speech, as well as pledging to negotiate as much as necessary. "It won't be us keeping it stuck, but we will only be part of a majority if we have the confidence that we have overcome mistrust. We are sure we will. There is perspective, leadership, and the will to come out, as a country from the economic and social crisis and above all from the repression to which the Spanish state subjects us," he said.
At the end of the event, Sànchez held a one-on-one chat with Aragonès. At the end, and with the room already empty, it was the speaker Borràs who sat down to talk to the Junts secretary general.
In the main image, Jordi Sànchez, general secretary of Junts, during this evening's conference / Sergi Alcàzar