Aragonés avoids clarifying whether he will vote for Junqueras as the candidate for the Generalitat.

BarcelonaOriol Junqueras made it official on Tuesday his intention to run as a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat And a few hours later, some voices emerged that did not share this decision. The most forceful, that of Former minister Ernest Maragall, who stated that he would not vote for himThis Friday, former Catalan president Pere Aragonès avoided clarifying whether he will vote for Junqueras as the ERC candidate in the upcoming Catalan elections. The former Republican leader recalled that a primary process must first be opened within the party, adding: "I will not take a position in the internal debate." In an interview on RTVE, Aragonès did defend Junqueras' right to run and once again demanded that the amnesty law be applied to him—the president of Esquerra remains disqualified and awaits a ruling on his appeal for protection in the Constitutional Court.

Aragonès was one of the leaders who sided with Nueva Izquierda Nacional, the alternative candidacy to Oriol Junqueras led by Xavier Godàs and Alba Camps, during the party's primaries a year ago. This candidacy called for a renewal of leadership within the party and, therefore, for Junqueras to step back and resign from leading Esquerra. They also advocated a two-headed model in which the party president would not be the candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat. In this sense, They had opened the door for Junqueras to become a candidate for the Generalitat."We want him [Oriol Junqueras] in the running with his significant role. And one of those significant roles, if applicable, must be, over time, to be a candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat if he wishes," said Xavier Godàs a year ago, although he also stressed that this possibility must go through a primary process.

"Respect" for Maragall's words

"Everyone should have the right to run in internal primaries. ERC has its procedures, the elections are still a long way off, there will be primaries. The membership must decide," said Aragonès. However, he avoided echoing Maragall's words, although he expressed his "respect and gratitude" for the former Barcelona City Council member: "He is free to give his opinion." He added: "Respect for Ernest Maragall comes before the fact that in some cases we don't fully agree or that I might explain things differently." The former president explained that, within the framework of the primary process to elect the municipal list leaders, some candidates have asked him to explicitly state his support, a request that Aragonès declined. "I have told all of them that I will not take a position in the internal debate," he noted.

Despite his opposition to Junqueras continuing to lead the party, Aragonès asserted that, from the moment the current Republican leader won the primaries and returned to presidency, he offered to "work and help." However, although they met a few months ago, which the party published on social media, the relationship between Junqueras and Aragonès has not been normal since the internal war the party experienced.