Illa proposes Eva Granados to Parliament Speakership

The head of the PSC list, Salvador Illa, has proposed this morning at the first meeting of the parliamentary group emerged from the elections that Eva Granados become Speaker. His number two is the woman "of the left" that he had been announcing for days that would be his candidate. The socialist explained that, as the most voted party, she should be elected. However, the maths don't quite add up. The pro-independence absolute majority is almost assured, if it acts with unity, both the speakership and the first vice-speakership of the Parliament, and it is most likely that the PSC will have to settle for the second vice-speakership and a secretary.

An MP since 2010, Granados has been the spokeswoman for the socialist parliamentary group in the last two legislatures, in the hardest moments of the Independence bid, and has often embodied the PSC's clashes with the pro-independence movement. As part of the Parliamentary bureau, the socialist would be the first to alert if initiatives push the limits imposed by the Constitutional Court. The PSC did not have a vice-speakership in the chamber since 2010-2012. Then it was also the second, which occupied Higini Clotas in his last legislature in the Parliament.

"It is reasonable that the party that has won the elections has the will to nominate a speaker to ensure that it is a chamber of dialogue, of debate, but not for frivolities or to play at breaking the rule of law," said Illa. But his decision to place Granados as a key player in the body also implies a change of seats in the group, which thus will have to find another spokesperson who will defend the new stage of dialogue "within the law" that he promised during the campaign. With Vox on the far right and the PP and Ciudadanos competing to play a role in the Parliament, Illa defends exercising a less polarised opposition than in the previous legislature - when it was spearheaded by Cs - and reach consensus with other parties. "The elections marked a change of course in Catalan politics," he said. "The change is irreversible, and insisting on failed formulas, on divisive formulas, has no way forward"

The only time that the PSC has had the presidency of the Parliament was between 1995 and 1999, with Joan Reventós, taking advantage of the fact that Jordi Pujol's CiU had lost its absolute majority and thanks to a pact between all the parties of the opposition. The party is now striving to gain access to some share of power by asserting its majority in votes at the ballot box. But the 33 seats it has are not enough, and the pro-independence parties vetoed pacts with the PSC in writing before the elections. Illa assured that he would talk to all groups except Vox, with which he maintains a cordon sanitaire. In fact, the Socialists proposed on Wednesday an agreement between all parties to keep the far right out of Parliamentary institutions.