Junqueras launches his candidacy for the Generalitat with a call for a broad national front

BarcelonaOriol Junqueras officially announced this afternoon his intention to run for president of the Generalitat (Catalan government) with a call to build a broad national front that would serve to defend issues he believes are the backbone of a nation, such as financing, and that should be the first step toward building the path to independence. However, a broad front that would also be useful in confronting the far right. "We need a national understanding to defend democracy and the welfare state," stated the president of the ERC (Republican Left), who appealed to "hope" to win the "battle of fear." From the Barcelona Auditorium, in an austere setting, with only a panel bearing the slogan "A New National Ambition," signed by Oriol Junqueras and without the ERC logo, the party leader sought to present his candidacy as one that could "convince very large majorities."

"When the other side is willing to use undemocratic tools, those of us who are committed to democracy need more democratic strength," Junqueras argued, in a message condemning the repression suffered by the independence movement just on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the 1-O referendum. This is not the first time that the Republican leader has called for a union of efforts among the independence forces. He did so, for example, at the last ERC congress in March, when he was going to ask Junts for collaboration in negotiating with the State.

The main negotiation that the Republicans are addressing with the State is that of specific financing, and here, Junqueras has once again called for the collaboration of parties and the social fabric to materialize the pact. "We need everyone," he stated. "The more we commit to this national understanding, the stronger we will be." However, the Republican leader has reiterated that financing is not enough: "If we are not a republic and we are not a state and we do not have the tools of a state, we will always be subject to the arbitrary decisions that the Spanish governments may impose, with all the certainty of the PP and Vox, and sometimes the PSOE."

With Tuesday's press conference, Junqueras has officially announced his candidacy for the presidency of the Generalitat. An intention that until now he had avoided confirming because he claimed that it was an implausible scenario due to the fact that he remained disqualified—the Supreme Court did not amnesty his conviction for embezzlement. "Our decisions should not be conditioned by decisions that are manifestly unfair," he argued this Monday to justify his step forward. His legal situation has not changed, but the Republican leader is confident that the Constitutional Court will resolve the appeal for protection before the next Catalan elections, scheduled for 2028 if there is no early election.

Social understanding

Junqueras devoted a good part of the conference to an overview of the country and everything it lacks, from the new financing model, to housing, and finally to the immigration debate. The Republican leader, in this regard, advocated translating national understanding into the social sphere, so that it could involve, for example, a social contract, an income pact that would serve to "improve" citizens' wages. Also on the subject of housing, Junqueras advocated "pacts and understanding" to build and renovate more housing, but also to integrate housing policies with transportation policies.

In parallel, Junqueras used the conference to condemn the far-right's discourse on the immigration issue. A debate that has shaken the party in recent days Because some critical voices have questioned the leadership's discourse, which they believe is shifting to the center. "We need to seduce, to enamor; it's not a luxury, it's a necessity. We need to be numerous, to be very strong. Those who have come from far away don't always feel far away," Junqueras argued, adding: "They too should make an effort to understand and love this country. We have to sew our society with culture."

The Republican Auditorium

The Republican leader sought to convince a full Republican audience that with his candidacy, Esquerra could once again become a party with a majoritarian agenda, especially after a weak last electoral cycle and the collapse of last year's 12-M referendum. His closest circle in the party and members of the national executive were there, as well as party officials, including those who opposed his candidacy in the primaries a year ago.

In fact, these were the people who called for a renewed leadership of the party and for Junqueras to step aside. However, they also defended a two-headed system and did not criticize the Republican leader for running for the presidency of the Generalitat, provided he first went through a primary process. Among them were former President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and former Speaker of the Parliament, Carme Forcadell; The president of the parliamentary group in the Parliament, Josep Maria Jové, and also the second vice-president of the Parliament, Raquel Sans. Several former ministers from the previous Republican government were also present, such as Laura Vilagrà, Manel Balcells, and Natàlia Mas.

The message in favor of national understanding was also heard from the front rows by representatives of other political parties such as Lluïsa Moret (PSC), Josep Rius (Juntos), Candela López (Comunes), and Jordi Pujol (CUP), and others from the social, business, and associative fabric such as U Cultural.