Junqueras warns Salvador Illa about the budget: "Don't escalate conflicts you can't win"

BarcelonaThe leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, is maintaining his standoff with President Salvador Illa over the budget. After the head of the Catalan government announced that He would approve the accounts despite not having secured Esquerra's endorsement.On Tuesday, the Republican leader issued a warning to the government: "Don't escalate conflicts you can't win." Speaking to Catalunya Ràdio, Junqueras confirmed that his opposition to the budget will remain if the Socialists, through the Ministry of Finance, don't make progress on the issue of collecting personal income tax in Catalonia. He also stated that, if this doesn't happen, they will present a comprehensive amendment to the budget. When asked about the possibility that the budget's failure could lead to early elections, Junqueras assumed that the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) wouldn't have a sufficient majority and that it would condemn the country to successive elections. "They won't call elections, and if they do, it will be another mistake," he said. "All the polls say that the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) is gaining ground and the PSC is losing," he added, concluding by advising the Catalan government, led by Illa, to "calm down." In fact, the Republicans maintain that if Catalonia ends up without a budget, they will negotiate supplementary credits to "guarantee resources" for the country. Junqueras' statements aim to make clear the rejection of the pressure the executive is exerting on the Republicans. It should be remembered that, after reaching an agreement with the Comuns, the executive also finalized a budget agreement this Monday with unions and employers' associations and is determined to approve the figures at the risk of not having the support of ERC once the budget reaches the Parliament. Regarding the condition of moving forward with the collection of personal income tax, the president committed last week to the agreement made with the Republicans, but Junqueras noted that the PSOE is not open to supporting the necessary legislative changes after a meeting with Pedro Sánchez last Friday. "The Socialist Party has not fulfilled its commitments," he insisted this Tuesday.