Carles Puigdemont does not believe that the contest is all over. The head of the Junts+ Puigdemont for Catalonia list has appeared, accompanied by the rest of his candidates and the leadership of the party to congratulate the Catalan Socialists (PSC) on their victory in the Catalan election of this Sunday, but also to warn that nothing has been finalised yet. "We are in a position to build a solid government with a completely Catalonia-centred loyalty and we will dedicate the next few days to this end", the candidate affirmed, in addition to stressing that his goal now is to achieve "a coherent government with good leadership" and "avoid an electoral repetition".
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At ten minutes before 11pm, when the vote count had already set out clearly that the PSC had 42 seats in contrast with the 35 of the Junts+ list, Puigdemont appeared before the press in Argelers, from the same stage in the Northern Catalonia (France) town where he has held campaign rallies over the last few weeks. In a clear message to Pedro Sánchez, the candidate warned that the distance that separates Junts from the PSC is no different from that between the PSOE and the PP in Madrid, a fact that does not prevent the general secretary of the PSOE from occupying the seat of Spanish government in the Moncloa palace.
Left-wing tripartite: "A bad choice"
Puigdemont argued that a tripartite government - a hypothetical alliance between the PSC, the Republican Left (ERC) and Comuns Sumar - with "as tight a majority as it has at the moment" - one seat - is a bad option for Catalonia, and least of all led by the Socialists, whom he holds responsible for the chaos that the Rodalies rail network failure showed today in Catalonia, and which reflects the PSC's "incapacity for good government". Faced with this situation, he assured that if ERC is ready to "rebuild bridges" with its former pro-independence partner and reflect on the effects of disunity and the lack of a shared strategy, Junts is as well.
However, ERC has collapsed in these elections: the candidature headed by Pere Aragonès lost 13 deputies and has been left with only 20 seats, while the other pro-independence party, the far-left CUP, lost 5 MPs and has been left with only four. This means that a pro-independence government would require the abstention of the PSC. At this point, Junts counts on the fact that the Spanish Socialists (PSOE) need Junts's 7 deputies in Congress to stay in government in Spain.
"Very meritorious result"
At the start of his appearance and after congratulating Salvador Illa, Puigdemont assured that the candidacy he leads "has achieved a very meritorious result", winning more than 30 of the 42 Catalan counties and more than 700 municipalities. He affirmed that he assumes the responsibility that this represents, but also stated that the support he has achieved is not enough to win the election, nor does it compensate for the fall of the other pro-independence forces.
The candidate attributed the mobilization of the pro-Spanish electorate which has been evident in the election, to Pedro Sánchez's strategy of working to centre the campaign on Spanish rather than Catalan issues - such as the five-day drama of his consideration of resigning in late April - while, on the contrary, a significant part of the pro-independence electorate remains demobilized and unmotivated to vote. "This fact forces a reflection that has been postponed too long in the pro-independence world on the effects of disunity and the lack of a shared strategy", he warned.
Junts's election night growth
Junts grew in all of the four Catalan macro-constituencies. The Puigdemont-led list won two more deputies in the Barcelona electorate. With 19.35% of the votes, it surged from 16 to 18 seats in the largest Catalan demarcation, and surpassed ERC. Although the PSC easily prevailed in its fiefdoms in the capital, as well as in the metropolitan beltway - with Junts's only victory in the city of Barcelona being in the Les Corts district - the rest of the Barcelona constituency appears dominated by the party's blue colour.
Puigdemont's candidacy once again demonstrated its strength in Girona. Although it did not grow in seats, remaining with the 7 it has in 2021, it added 2.22 points of the vote more than the last election, with 13,700 more votes. It also reached first place in Lleida and grew by 2.34 points, but it did not register its sixth seat, which was in play until the last moment when it fell into the PSC basket.
The pro-independence party led from exile by Puigdemont also expanded in Tarragona. With one more MP than in 2021, it surpassed ERC and took 5 seats, one fewer than the Socialists who have been the main beneficiary of the fall of ERC in this constituency.