The grass roots membership of Together for Catalonia (Junts) will decide this Thursday and Friday whether or not the party should leave the Catalan coalition government led by Pere Aragonès, of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC). The general secretary of the party, Jordi Turull, announced the question for the consultation on Monday, thus also firing the starting gun for campaigns for and against the party's continuity in the government, which means that, in the end, all party figures will take a position.
The question posed to the Junts membership is the following: "The National Congress of the Party has agreed that the membership will have to be consulted on the possibility of continuing in the government or not. After an audit of the Government Agreement between Junts and ERC of May 17th, 2021, it has been been found that there is non-compliance with central elements. With regard to this, Junts has formulated a series of proposals to guarantee compliance with the agreement. So far, these proposals have not been accepted by ERC. In compliance with the Congress's mandate, the following question is formulated: Do you want Junts to continue to be part of the current government of the Generalitat of Catalonia?"
Among those who have already publicly positioned themselves in favour of 'Yes' - that is, continuing in the government - are some ministers, such as Victòria Alsina, previously an independent, who has now decided to join the Junts party in order to give her view, although she will not be able to vote. The former general secretary of the party, Jordi Sànchez, has also taken a position in favour of the remain option, in an interview with Catalan public television.
Positions of Junts party leaders are shown in the graphic below: green = yes; favouring remaining in the government; red = no; wanting Junts to leave the government; grey = those who have not yet spoken. The tots option shows all Junts politicians included in the infographic.
Against continuing in the government, that is favouring a 'No' to the question, the president of the party, Laura Borràs, has spoken out in a rather veiled way. However, some of her hard core supporters have done so much more openly, on social media: such as party vice-president Francesc de Dalmases and executive member Jaume Alonso Cuevillas.
Voting will start as midnight passes on Wednesday night, and will be open for the whole of Thursday 6th, and on Friday 7th until 5pm. A total of 6,465 members who have belonged to Junts for more than six months have the right to participate in the consultation.
What will happen after the Junts consultation?
President Pere Aragonès has told ministers that this is an important week for the country's political future, and the parties must resolve internal debates that affect the proper functioning of the government. According to the government spokesperson, Patrícia Plaja, at this morning's weekly meeting of the Catalan cabinet, Aragonès expressed his confidence that Junts would continue in the government. The president also conveyed to the ministers that, despite the government crisis being unresolved, the ministries must continue to function normally.
However, Plaja admitted that the government is preparing scenarios for a split in the coalition because "it is the administration's obligation to keep these scenarios in mind" and "not to improvise". The spokesperson affirmed that in case the government breaks up, "calling elections is not on the table", the government will continue and "the president will make the decisions in the most rapid and agile way possible".