Good disposition of the ERC, absolute secrecy of the junts. The PSOE stepped forward at Esquerra this Thursday to win their support for the Socialists to retain the presidency of Congress. The one who was already one of the main allies of Pedro Sánchez’s government during the last legislature has been given the word that the PSOE will allow him to form his own political group and, for his part, has made it clear that he does not aspire to positions on the table of the camera. The ERC’s position contrasts with that of Junts, the other pro-independence group on which the parliamentary majority depends, which has remained silent for the time being. Esquerra insists the junts form a united front to advance their demands in Madrid. “This is a unique opportunity and we should not let it pass us by,” said new ERC MP Teresa Jordà.
Parliamentarians from ERC and Junts went to Congress this Thursday to present their accreditations with a clear difference of opinion. Esquerra appeared before the media, made statements expressing his support for the deal and had no qualms in announcing that he would be meeting with acting Secretary of State for Relations with the Courts, Rafael Simancas , one of the most experienced socialists in the negotiations for the agreement years. with other groups. The two parties had maintained telephone and telematic contacts since the July 23 elections, but this was the first time they had met in person.
The representatives of the junts – led by their speaker in Congress, Míriam Nogueras – did not comment at all. They did not even confirm – not even in the PSOE – whether, like the ERC, they had taken the opportunity to hold a meeting with the Socialists.
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Although Esquerra has not yet confirmed his support for the candidatures presented by PSOE and Add to the Table, contacts this Thursday revealed significant progress. The Catalan formation separates the negotiations on the governing bodies of the new Congress, which will be installed on the 17th, from the subsequent process that could lead to Sánchez’s inauguration. That is, the ERC reserves the purely political demands for the moment they start talking about the government. For the moment, the demands remain with the parliamentary mechanics. In addition to its own political group – which would not automatically correspond to it using the election results – the ERC has expressed a wish to chair a commission in Congress. The meeting with Simancas, which ended before 3pm, went “well” and some “logistical” issues were settled, such as the issue of commissions, according to ERC sources present at the meeting. In addition to the “progress” in the talks, they were urged to continue speaking over the next few days. Regarding the composition of the table, ERC assures that in the “equation” drawn up by the PSOE, initially only the Socialists and Sumar are represented and that the PNV is left out, the same sources say. Questions related to the investiture were not mentioned, Esquerra said.
MEP Jordà warned that her group would not offer any “free” support, while using conciliatory words in her intervention. And he stressed that the ERC will always prefer a “progressive” congressional table and government to those controlled by the right. Asked about the unit of action that Esquerra Junts offered – without receiving any reply for the time being – Jordà paraphrased a few words from the Secretary General of this last formation, Jordi Turull, to highlight that the results of 23-J take the place of the entire independence movement before a “golden opportunity” to assert their strength in Madrid. The ERC MP also described as a “disgrace of the first order” the decision of two conservative judges of the Constitutional Court, who, taking advantage of the fact that they currently have a majority in the leave chamber of that body, refused to allow the former judge to appeal President Carles Puigdemont against the last arrest warrant against him.
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Junts left not the slightest hint of what his stance might be in next Thursday the 17th’s Constitutional Plenary Session of Congress. Puigdemont’s party would definitely benefit from one of the actions that the PSOE has promised the ERC, namely the creation of its own political group. Both formations find themselves in the same situation: They failed to secure 15% of the vote in the four constituencies they approved at 23-J, a condition required by Congressional regulations.
Hermeticism isn’t just Junts’ legacy. Great caution is exercised within the PSOE in order not to take false steps that could damage a negotiation so delicate that at all times one word escapes its leaders: discretion. One of the key people in this process, the acting minister of the presidency, Félix Bolaños, also had himself accredited this Thursday and, during a brief appearance before the media, did not give the slightest insight into what is being cooked before the forthcoming constitution of the courts. “I don’t think I’m going to be very original,” he said. “We have to be discreet, responsible and prudent. If there are any news and agreements, we will let you know.
The other formation of the incumbent government, Sumar, is letting the PSOE lead the negotiations, although its leaders are maintaining contacts with members of the pro-independence groups on their own to create a favorable climate. Yolanda Díaz’s platform has already tabled a proposal aimed at winning support for peripheral nationalism: reforming the rules of procedure of Congress to allow the use of official languages.
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