ANC calls a rally on Sunday to put pressure on ERC and JxCat

BarcelonaThe Catalan National Assembly (ANC) has made a move after noting the total deadlock in negotiations between pro-independence parties. The sovereignist entity has called a protest this Sunday at 11:30 am in Plaça Sant Jaume to put pressure on pro-independence parties with the aim of reaching an agreement before repeat elections are automatically called on May 26. In declarations in fornt of the Parliament, the president of the entity, Elisenda Paluzie, has demanded ERC, JxCat and CUP reach an agreement to "advance" towards independence and not to put the majority of over 50% of the vote obtained on February 14 "at risk".

According to Paluzie, in recent weeks there had been "progress" in the area of strategic coordination towards independence - one of the main reasons for disagreement between Esquerra and Junts - since all those involved "made concessions". "Everything broke down between the two major pro-independence parties a few days ago. We do not understand it and a large part of the pro-independence base is perplexed, disappointed and angry", she said, although she did not want to go into more details.

Paluzie urged the parties to be "responsible" and to negotiate until the last minute before May 26 to save the legislature. "There is still a chance, probably the last one, to respond to the majority that wants independence, with a government that is clearly pro-independence and that takes firm steps" in this direction, said Paluzie.

In any case, so as not to generate misgivings in either of the two major parties, Paluzie has avoided specifying what form this government should take, whether it should be a coalition government, as Junts wants, or a minority government, as ERC prefers. Nor has she commented on what this coordination space should be like. To untangle the situation, weeks ago the ANC proposed that the Independence bid leadership (with the three parties, ANC and Òmnium) be made part of the Consell per la República, but so far no way has been found to make it fit.

What Paluzie does believe is that only the pro-independence parties should be part of this agreement -ERC, JxCat and CUP- and not the comuns, who in recent days have met with the Republicans to facilitate the investiture of Pere Aragonès.

Organisations take a step forward

Paluzie's call comes just the day after the verification of the current deadlock after the meeting between ERC and JxCat. This Tuesday the republicans insisted on governing alone while JxCat maintained that it will only negotiate a a coalition government. In view of the possible electoral repetition -there are less than fifteen days left until May 26th-, this Wednesday morning the CUP called ERC and JxCat to a meeting to try to iron out differences and bring their positions closer together

It is also expected that this Wednesday afternoon the president of Òmnium, Jordi Cuixart, will speak about the current situation. Cuixart will participate in an event in l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, centred on the challenges of civil society in the next few years and in which it is also probable that he will refer to the rupture between ERC and JxCat. Òmnium, like ANC, has also insisted that the share of pro-independence votes (over 50%) should be used for an agreement in Parliament and towards a new Government.