Isla and Sánchez and the idea of lasting

Salvador Illa must be one of the most successful political products of what the PP calls "Sanchismo," a figure who has risen from the always thankless tasks of party plumbing to the very top of the political ladder: first as Minister of Health, but not just any Minister of Health (a ministry that, in principle, is unattractive, but one that has most of the powers devolved). And then as a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat, but not just any candidate either: he was the Socialist candidate who secured the loss of the absolute majority in the Parliament by the pro-independence bloc, and therefore the end of pro-independence hegemony in Catalonia.

Once president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa's goal, more than anything else, is to endure. Not the administration, nor institutional normality, nor the reunion, nor the anesthetization of the citizen revolt, which is also important. Enduring is the crux of the matter. The presidency of the Generalitat is always subject to strong or very strong tensions, but it is also one of the most important political positions in Spain, within its institutional structure. Maintaining it is a priority for the Socialists, who until now have had two presidents of the Generalitat, Maragall and Montilla, both of whom served for a brief period, each serving only one term. A long-term president of the Generalitat is a significant source of power and a starting point for building a governing body, a political legacy, and so on.

To this end, Illa is evidently inspired by the Catalan president who has served the longest, and who was also not a separatist: Jordi Pujol. One of the first things Isla did upon coming to power was to rehabilitate Pujol politically and institutionally, regardless of what ultimately emerges from the trial for the so-called Pujol case, which will begin in the National Court in a month. And he has sought to imitate him in every way that could suit him: if Pujol, when he first won the elections in 1980, proclaimed that he and Convergència were "the Monday people," Salvador Illa seems to be seeking that same spirit for his government. He won't have it easy if Parliament is moving—as some polls suggest—toward a fragmentation that would make all the combined forces of traditional parties insufficient, and in which far-right parties like Vox and the Catalan Alliance would gain increasing strength.

Isla's friend and political mentor, Pedro Sánchez, also aims to remain in office. Not only that: for the Spanish president, the point of power is to maintain it. Nor does it have an easy path, with the wear and tear inflicted on him by the ultra-nationalist right of the PP and Vox, as well as allies like Junts and Podemos. However, the paradox is that his main opponent, Feijóo, is on the way to wearing himself down as much as, or even more than, he is, and at a faster pace, due mainly to his incompetence and a PP that is increasingly less able to conceal internal tensions. Isla and Sánchez, two socialist presidents with one goal: not to lose power.