Antoni Bassas' analysis: 'Juntos and Ripoll, between convention and strategy'

Has Juntos made a mistake? retiring at the last minute of the motion of censure against the mayor of Ripoll, Sílvia Orriols? It is a question that does not have an easy answer.

If we talk about convictions, The far right has a discourse so dangerous for coexistence – because it is demagogic, because it points to the guilty without finding solutions – that creating a cordon sanitaire is an option. Here and in many countries in Europe, where it is practiced. We can see it on Sunday in a country as marked by fascism as Germany according to the results of the elections.

But if we talk about political strategy, there are nuances.

Let's see, Together justifies the decision not to present the motion and replace Orriols so as not to victimize Aliança Catalana and Sílvia Orriols, so that it would not happen like Badalona, ​​​​where a motion of censure brought down Mayor García Albiol and then he returned, winning an absolute majority.

But there is another reason: keeping Orriols in Ripoll means not giving him time to go around Catalonia to campaign, which is what Junts fears.

In any case, the mistake that Junts has made It is about having started talks to make a motion to Orriols only to end up withdrawing it at the last minute. Because all the reasons we have given were already imaginable before sitting down to talk with PSC, ERC and CUP. This morning Junts said that they sit down to talk with everyone who asks them to talk, to see if something solid can come out of it or not and to find out where the others are going. But the question remains: why has the leadership of the Junts party, in Barcelona, ​​​​deactivated the pact?

Don't miss the information we published today, signed by three people, which explains that yesterday morning there was a call from Junqueras to Puigdemont to try to convince him to change his mind. Elisenda Alamany explained that Puigdemont told Junqueras that they had an internal survey that indicated that there was no clear support from the people of Ripollet to oust Orriols. Data that, from the national leadership of Junts, they have used to convince their councillors to say not finally in the motion of censure.

Together we will hear him say: Orriols has declared victory by saying the following about Junts: "I will not bleed, because I already have what I wanted." That is, the mayor's office. And all the parties have thrown themselves at Junts, with the idea that Junts will be in Aliança por Catalunya what the PP is in Vox.

This morning, the socialist Pepe Zaragoza said in the corridors of Congress that Puigdemont has "Feijoo syndrome."

Juntos preferred not to make Orriols a victim. Because Junts is the party from which Aliança per Catalunya draws the most votes. Time will tell whether it was wrong or not. What is clear is that the far right is not easy to deal with because it soils everything no matter how you touch it and makes life difficult for you, but it takes courage, a lot of confidence in values and convictions, and putting them into practice, especially in a country of immigrants like ours.

Good morning.