Potential allies reject Catalan government unity calls
Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and far-left CUP dismiss offer to join unitary government
As the Catalan government calls for a unitary response to the upcoming verdict of the politicians and activists involved in the 2017 independence bid, its only possible allies have moved in the opposite direction
Falling short of a majority in the Catalan parliament, the government coalition partners Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) and Esquerra (ERC) rely on the votes from other parties to implement their political agenda. But their most likely allies, pro-independence CUP and left-wing Catalunya en Comú-Podem (CatECP) have played down all proposals laid bare to date.
President Torra called for “maximum consensus", and the imprisoned leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras even invited CUP and CatECP to join a unitary government representing “80% of Catalans"—a proposal that both parties dismissed on Friday.