Party Review - Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’:
Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ obtained 40 MPs in the last Spanish Elections, held in December 2015. This was the highest figure ever achieved by a Catalan party. Indeed, besides being one of the most fierce opponents to Catalonia’s push for independence and having denied Catalonia’s right for self-determination, this young party was born and raised in Catalonia and has a Catalan candidate running for Spanish President, Albert Rivera - two aspects which have been emphasised by the party during this recently started electoral campaign. In a press conference at CNA headquarters,‘Ciutadans’ candidate for Barcelona, Juan Carlos Girauta, also defended his condition of being Catalan and called for those “pro-independence supporters” who chose this option because they were “upset” with Spain, to vote for ‘Ciutadans’. “We want to explain to them the advantages of our project”, he said, which is “building a Spain which is worth it”.
Barcelona (CNA).- Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ is the first party born and raised in Catalonia to obtain 40 MPs in the Spanish Parliament. This exceptional figure, which it achieved in its first time running for the General Elections has defined the party’s campaign for the 26th of June election, together with its defining anti-Catalan nationalism component and its will to represent “a new force” which will “make possible the change in Spain”. In a press conference at CNA headquarters,‘Ciutadans’ candidate for Barcelona, Juan Carlos Girauta, called for those “pro-independence supporters” who chose this option because they were “upset” with Spain, to vote for ‘Ciutadans’. “We want to explain to them the advantages of our project”, he said, which is “building a Spain which is worth it”. “We are excited about it”, he added.
Girauta opened his party’s project to those pro-independence supporters who are in this position “lifelong” but also to those who are in favour of Catalonia’s independence as a result of “huge disappointment” and due to “the lack of horizons in the Spanish future”. Thus, he defended the “exciting” and “reformist” project which his party represents. “We want to explain to them the advantages of our project: how excited we are about starting to build a new Spain which is worth it”, stated ‘Ciutadans’ candidate for Barcelona.
He also referred to the internal fights within the pro-independence side. “Nationalists have made a very risky project, which has failed and which is in a cul-de-sac and they fight among themselves in order to see who pays the bill”, he assured.
Obtaining votes from CDC and PSC
Girauta’s main goal for this elections is to improve the percentage of votes obtained in Catalonia in December. ‘Ciutadans’ obtained 5 MPs in the last Spanish Elections, 4 in Barcelona province and 1 in Tarragona. Now, they aim to get 1 in Girona as well. “We were about to obtain it last time”, he said.
The Spanish Unionist candidate for Barcelona admitted his wish to overcome liberal Convergència (CDC) in the whole of Catalonia, as happened in Barcelona. Girauta also wants to continue enhancing the differences with the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) from which they grabbed some key and traditional areas in the last Spanish Elections. According to Girauta, this “overtaking” is because “clarity is rewarded, whereas ambiguity is punished”, he stated, referring to PSC’s position regarding Catalonia’s push for independence.
Reforming the funding system
‘Ciutadans’ insisted on its aim to launch substantial reforms in the whole of Spain and reform the funding system. Girauta also defended the party’s commitment to promoting “key infrastructures” for the economy and the country’s “welfare”, such as the Mediterranean Railway Corridor. In this vein, he criticised that alternative left coalition ‘Unidos Podemos’ didn’t mention the Corridor in their programme. “Is it so important for them that they just forgot to include it in their programme?” he asked rhetorically. “They just improvise and say what people want to hear”, he concluded.