The grassroots support Junqueras' political direction: "Confrontation and collaboration" with the Socialists

BarcelonaThis weekend, Esquerra closes the congress that has returned Oriol Junqueras to the party's presidency, but with one of the most turbulent processes in the history of the Republicans. After losing the presidency of the Generalitat (Catalan government) almost a year ago, the party became lost in an internal war that led to the divorce of the tandem that had led it until then, Oriol Junqueras and Marta Rovira. The Republicans arrived at the fall vote to elect the new leadership extremely divided, to the point that the membership had to choose between three candidates. Junqueras did not achieve a definitive victory until the second round of voting and with a close result: 52% of the vote. ERC opened the second phase of the congress in January, which was supposed to define its political and strategic direction, and which ends this weekend. The decibels have dropped, and Junqueras arrives at the party's meeting in Martorell with internal opposition, but less mobilized.

The Republican base is called to vote. the three reports prepared by management – the political, strategic and statutory ones – and the amendments that remained pending after the territorial debates. The first debate faced by the membership was the political report, which received the support of 90% of members (771 members participated in the vote). The document laid out the party's ideological foundations for the next four years, in which they want nation and language to be two of its backbones. Of the 867 amendments presented, the leadership negotiated more than 400, one of them from the Ágora movement, promoted by Joan Tardà.

The text advocates "moving toward a solution to the national conflict with the Spanish state based on democratic principles" and advocates for a relationship with "Catalan socialism that combines confrontation and collaboration." The Republicans have signed alliances with the Socialists both in the Spanish state and in the Generalitat (Catalan Government), but these alliances have always led to contradictions among the Republican membership. In fact, in their political report, they also attack its "recentralizing regression." Furthermore, the party urges "left-wing pro-independence and sovereignty forces to foster synergies and alliances" to "build a broad path that will improve the conditions for making the right to decide effective."

Tardà has managed to negotiate this text with the leadership, but is keeping an amendment to the strategic report open for debate this Sunday. In this document, which aims to be the Republicans' roadmap to independence, they set 2031 as a key year in which they hope to have rebuilt the pro-independence majority. Tardà believes that to achieve this goal, Esquerra must open the party to non-independence supporters, and, in fact, the former spokesperson in Congress wanted to modify the party's statutes to redefine the party and include non-independence supporters. He ultimately withdrew this amendment. as explained by AHORA, and transferred it to the strategic report. There was no agreement with the leadership to compromise the text, and it will be debated in Sunday's plenary session, as will the alliance policy proposed by Ágora, the internal movement led by Tardà himself, which called for focusing it on left-wing sovereigntist parties and coordinating the strategy with state-level parties to promote a referendum.

In Saturday's debate, the leadership also incorporated the amendments that had been left pending regarding the reduction of the working day. The report proposed by the Republican leadership advocated moving toward a 35-hour workweek, and the amendments proposed reducing it to 32 hours. Finally, the compromise agreed to "move" toward these 32 hours. Separately, the leadership reached an agreement with Nova Esquerra Nacional (National Left) to emphasize that ERC is an "anti-fascist" party and that it will not "facilitate" the far right's ability to reach any "position of power." However, the requirement that the Republicans not enter into agreements with parties that reach agreements with the far right was eliminated. The leadership also committed to drafting regulations that would allow migrants to be included in "relevant" positions on the lists, in an agreement with Ágora.

Aragonés attends the congress, Rovira does not.

According to party data, 1,524 people registered for the congress out of a census of around 8,000 members—a slightly higher figure than the Lleida congress, where 1,303 people registered and around 1,100 attended. Among those attending was former President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Pere Aragonès, but not Marta Rovira (although she was registered). In both online votes to elect the new leadership, turnout was massive: more than 80% of members voted in the first and second rounds. Critics argue that the registration figures for this second part of the congress are a sign of demotivation among the rank and file, while members of the leadership defend the turnout and emphasize that it is higher than the last two congresses.

Support for internal currents

Aside from the political roadmap, ERC will also debate organizational changes. One of the proposals proposed by Nova Esquerra Nacional, the candidacy of Xavier Godàs and Alba Camps, to limit Junqueras's term and make him incompatible with public office, has fallen through. Critics have finally withdrawn both texts in exchange for the leadership opening this debate during this term. Sources on both sides suggest that it could be done at the national conference that ERC is scheduled to hold mid-term.

Without this debate, the clash with the critics will come to nothing, because the leadership has either compromised or accepted the rest of the amendments, including the request made by Nova Esquerra, Foc Nou, and Àgora to to form internal currents within ERC. 3% of the membership will need to apply, and the party will have to draft regulations to establish their rights and obligations, that is, whether they can be represented in the governing bodies, for example. "Candidacies are history for the leadership of this party. Now what they represented can have a place in the membership," argued ERC's deputy secretary of communications, Isaac Albert, in statements to the media at the start of the congress.

The Truth Commission

The Alzheimer's cartel scandal and the ERC B structure uncovered by the ARA The report, which has shaken the party in recent months, will also return to the forefront. The Truth Commission, the body that promoted Junqueras and was supposed to investigate this issue, must present its findings to the membership. However, the text piloted by Joan Tardà will not be addressed to the membership, but will instead be sent directly to the Guarantees Commission, which oversees this investigation, along with the party's compliance officer. This Truth Commission will not be able to name those responsible, according to the Guarantees Commission's resolution, issued following a challenge filed by two members against the commission.