Junqueras officially announces his intention to run for the Generalitat (Catalan government) at a conference.
Under the title 'A New National Ambition', Junqueras outlines his vision for the country after regaining the presidency of the party almost a year ago.
BarcelonaFrom the Barcelona Auditorium, Oriol Junqueras delivered a speech entitled "A New National Ambition," which should formalize his intention to run for president of the Generalitat (Catalan government). He had previously avoided confirming his intention because he maintained that it was an implausible scenario due to his continued ineligibility—the Supreme Court has not granted him amnesty for his embezzlement conviction. "Our decisions should not be influenced by decisions that are manifestly unfair," he argued this Monday to justify his decision. His legal situation has not changed, but the Republican leader is confident that the Constitutional Court will rule on the appeal for constitutional protection before the next Catalan elections, scheduled for 2028 if there is no early election.
Oriol Junqueras is delivering this address almost a year after he reassumed the party presidency following months of internal warfare, in which the Oriol Junqueras-Marta Rovira tandem finally split. After the debacle of the 12-M elections a year ago, ERC had to make one of the most difficult decisions in recent years in the midst of an internal crisis: to make Salvador Illa president of the Generalitat. Support for the investiture of the socialist leader was narrow (53.5%), and now the party is pressuring the socialists to enforce the main point of that pact: the one-off funding.
In parallel, Junqueras has been leading a party for a year that was divided as a result of the internal struggle to preside over the party. The current Republican leader won the primaries with 52% of the vote. In hindsight, the ruling party won the battle in the region except in Barcelona, where the candidate critical of Junqueras's leadership prevailed. In recent weeks, the current Republican leadership has had to face criticism from various parties following the change in the party's graphic image. to open the debate on the migration issue.
