Illa to resign as minister on Tuesday to focus on election campaign

BarcelonaSalvador Illa's last 24 hours at the head of the Health Ministry, a position that seemed minor when he was appointed just over a year ago but which with the pandemic has given unforeseen protagonism. The Spanish government reported early on Monday morning that Tuesday will be his last day as minister, a position from which he will resign to focus on his new role as Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) candidate in the Parliamentary elections.

On December 30th, Illa's candidacy came as a surprise - he replaced Miquel Iceta, in a move that was cooked up with total discretion. SInce, Illa has been the target of all his political rivals, who reproach him for not leaving the ministry from the outset and for having combined such a delicate task in a pandemic with that of a candidate. Well, this Tuesday Illa will participate in his last council of ministers and, afterwards, his replacement will be officially announced, who will take office on Wednesday at the Palacio de la Zarzuela.

It will also have to be seen whether Illa's replacement will have another major effect on Catalan politics: the leader of the PSC, Miquel Iceta, may end up becoming a minister. It would be his return to Spanish government 30 years after he joined Felipe Gonzalez's cabinet

Illa's replacement as minister has been left hanging longer than the PSC would have liked because of the uncertainty that has been generated around the election date. That is, when it seemed that the elections would be postponed until May 30 due to the pandemic, Illa suspected that he would remain in the ministry for a few more months. Finally, however, as everything seems to indicate that the elections will be on February 14, he will resign from office this Tuesday, since the campaign will begin at midnight on Thursday.

With his return to Catalan politics, Illa will find that he has become the target of all the other parties in this pre-campaign. This Sunday, for example, JxCat turned its presentation of Borràs's candidacy into a list of reproaches to the socialist candidate. But it is not only JxCat who is following this strategy: ERC is also aiming to polarise the campaign between an "us" and the PSC.

Illa, who packed his bags for Madrid in January last year to head a second-tier ministry with most of the powers transferred to the autonomous regions, returns after leading the fight against the pandemic. The PSC is convinced that these credentials give him a chance to win the elections, the so-called Illa effect. We will find out on February 14th.