Puigdemont assumes the stability agreement between pro-independence forces broken
Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont considers pro-independence radical left CUP’s veto on the bill for 2016 to “mark a turning point” and assumes that the stability agreement reached between pro-independence forces CUP and cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ is now broken. However, Puigdemont nuanced that this doesn’t mean that the current term of office is over but assured that from now on ‘Junts Pel Sí’ will rule in minority, with the 62 MPs they have in the 135-seat Catalan Parliament. During a meeting with the Catalan executive held this morning, right before the debate over the budget, Puigdemont stated that the bill for 2016 won’t be passed “at any price” and that the Government’s project is not “for sale” as the main goal continues to be achieving independence
Barcelona (CNA).- The agreement between pro-independence forces ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP, through which the latter committed “not to vote the same way as those forces who don’t support Catalonia’s pro-independence roadmap when the parliamentarian stability is at risk” is broken, according to the Catalan President Carles Puigdemont. However, he nuanced that this doesn’t mean that the current term of office is over. Puigdemont made this statement during a meeting with 'Junts Pel Sï' group held this Wednesday, right after CUP confirmed their veto on the bill for 2016. A decision which, according to Puigdemont “marks a turning point” and forces the executive of ‘Junts Pel Sí’ to rule in minority from now on, with only the 62 MPs from the cross-party list present in the 135-seat Catalan Chamber.
In a similar vein, Catalan Government spokeswoman, Neus Munté, warned that CUP’s decision “will have consequences” and accused the radical lefties of not fulfilling the agreement. On the other side, CUP MP, Eulàlia Reguant insisted that the amendment wanted to make clear the party’s will to continue working alongside the Catalan Government and ‘Junts Pel Sí’”.
The other groups in the Catalan Chamber also reacted to CUP’s veto on the draft budget for 2016 and what some of them assume as the failure of the pro-independence forces’ agreement.
‘Ciutadans’: Pro-independence proposal “didn’t have any content”
Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’, the main party in the opposition, accused the Catalan executive of “lying to the citizens” since the budget and the whole pro-independence roadmap “wasn’t a future proposal but a proposal without content”, stated Ciutadans’ leader in the Catalan Chamber, Inés Arrimadas. She also lamented that the Government “left the most important decisions in the hands of CUP” and urged the Catalan executive to “do politics again and bring back common sense”.
In a similar vein, ‘Ciutadans’ MP Antonio Espinosa described the current situation as “the last acts of a comedy which is about to finish” and lamented that the Government’s swerve to the left forced them to “reach agreements with only pro-independence forces”. “Praying to the devil usually carries bad consequences”, he stated.
PPC: Puigdemont must call for elections or assume that the process is dead
Catalan People’s Party (PPC), the Catalan branch of Spain’s ruling party, also commented on the disagreement between the pro-independence forces in the Parliament. PPC MP, Xavier García Albiol urged President Puigdemont “to call for new elections immediately or declare dead the pro-independence process”. According to García Albiol, the Catalan Government should start working on the budget for 2017 and suggested that the executive look for agreements “beyond the pro-independence forces”.
PPC MP Enric Millo accused the Catalan Government of “living in a parallel universe” and “having disconnected from the real world”. “End this nonsense process, this race which leads to nowhere, and on the following day we could be able to sit down and talk”, he stated.
PSC: “It is irresponsible to put the bill to vote without having support”
“It is irresponsible to put the bill to vote without having the necessary support”, stated Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) MP, Alícia Romero. Although she admitted that CUP’s veto “wasn’t surprising” due to the “numerous disagreements between the pro-independence forces”, Romero lamented that Catalan Minister for Economy and Tax Office, Oriol Junqueras, “didn’t build any bridge with the other groups in the Parliament”.
‘CSQP’: Junqueras is “the leader of political pretence”
Alternative left alliance ‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot’ also rejected the draft budget presented by Junqueras and denied that the bill was “the most social-oriented” to date, as the Catalan Minister for Economy and Tax Office assured when he presented the proposal. ‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot’ MP, Joan Coscubiela accused Junqueras of being “the leader of political pretence” and using “double language”. “It is hard to pay homage to the target deficit imposed by Spain’s executive and be subject to the Troika mandates and, at the same time, promise disobedience to the partners in the Government”, he stated, referring to the ‘Junts Pel Sí’ agreement with CUP.