IÑAKI PARDO TORREGROSA, BARCELONA 01/02/2020 – Image: Mané Espinosa
Unity is one of the slogans that are most repeated in Catalonia in the face of the upcoming elections: that of independence, that of Catalanism and that of the so-called constitutionalist space. But for now it has not materialized in any of those spectra and the acronym soup is still not aligned.
Several organizations of political Catalanism, in that situation, try to articulate all the parties of that ideology to return to occupy the center of the political board after eight years of processing. In recent months there have been several meetings and movements; there are formations that are reorganized and others that are born.
Unity is one of the slogans that are most repeated in Catalonia in the face of the upcoming elections: that of independence, that of Catalanism and that of the so-called constitutionalist space. But for now it has not materialized in any of those spectra and the acronym soup is still not aligned.
The electoral call announced by Quim Torra has put everyone on guard, but, for now, it has not altered the internal calendars or their work rhythms. This Monday, in the Cercle d’Economia, a group of independents that arises from the union of the Converses de Catalunya group and the Treva i Pau collective will light a new civil association. Its objective is that in the next appointment with the polls there will be “a single Catalan candidacy” that “reconciles” the non-independence Catalanists and the disenchanted sovereigns with the current political drift and that “they believe that we are in a dead end and in a sterile way ”. “We want to weld those two souls,” says one of its drivers, Josep Miró i Ardèvol.
It’s not about creating a new party. The goal is to weave a “support network” for that space and its thesis is that Units per Avançar -which since 2017 attends the PSC in the electoral appointments-, Lliga Democràtica, Lliures and the Poblet group concur under a single brand to the next elections. “Although there is more than one party we want only one candidacy,” says who will be one of the speakers at the Cercle event.
This association advocates an option that is committed to “more autonomy and self-government, support for Catalan civil law and Catalan language and culture”. “And that is compatible with being Spanish,” he adds. “Our goal is to encourage the entente and provide support for that brand to take muscle, grow in the territory and obtain economic resources,” concludes Miró i Ardèvol.
The Democratic League understands that this act will be a “boost” to their project. The new formation, still a virgin in the electoral field, will hold his founding congress and the merger with Lliures at the end of March, with the intention of joining forces with the other acronyms and going all to one at the polls.
However, Units per Avançar distance themselves with all this and affirm that for now they are “a political party with an institutional presence in the Parliament, the City Council of Barcelona and in more than 40 consistories” of the Catalan territory. Now they work on their electoral program, in which the main axes will be “good governance, support for the productive economy, education and quality self-government”. “From there we will talk to our environment, starting with the socialist PSC, with whom we have a loyal relationship. But also with other initiatives that are emerging in the space of non-independentist Catalanism, ”says its secretary general, Ramon Espadaler.
“We are not independentists, but we do not want to build an alternative on anti-independentism, but on respect for Catalonia, its institutions and good governance, which is what thinks and takes care of the whole country,” he adds.
The Poblet group has an active work commission to analyze whether it supports any group – which assumes its founding document and its plans for the next decade – or if they are promoting a new party.
They will also attend the Cercle d’Economia meeting, a meeting that they value positively, as well as any initiative that “raises debate and looks to the future of Catalonia.” However, until the end of February they will not have conclusions about their electoral commitment and prefer to wait to see what the program of the other parties is and what their priorities are. “It is not only about agreeing on ideas and values but also on priorities. It’s not just the what, it’s also the how and when, ”insists Toni Garrell.
Nor should we forget that the PSC advocates a “broad base” project and probe and approach the Catalan center and moderate space, in which all these actors navigate.
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