Orriols offers Junts agreements after the municipal elections

BarcelonaThe leader of Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols, arrived at the Hotel Palace in Barcelona, ​​formerly the Ritz, to outline her political project at a conference during the Fòrum Europa Tribuna Catalunya, which had to be postponed from the end of the year. Orriols made no secret of her hope that the upcoming municipal elections will consolidate her party's growth. And, when this happens, she is confident that the cordon sanitaire imposed on her by other parties will have eased: Orriols offered Junts the possibility of forming a coalition government after the elections. "We will form a government with Junts if our program is implemented," she stated, after admitting that she feels closer to Carles Puigdemont's party than to Vox or the CUP. And yet, just moments before, she had accused Junts of deceiving the pro-independence movement and guaranteed that with her as president, "independence wouldn't have lasted eight seconds, nor would I have resigned the presidency because of Article 155, which was just a fax," conveniently ignoring the political prisoners and the fact that Puigdemont has been in exile for nine years.

So far, Junts has not broken the cordon sanitaire around Aliança in the Catalan Parliament. That is to say, it hasn't voted for any of their proposals. Nor has it become an ally of Aliança in Ripoll, although Orriols governs in minority thanks to the fact that Junts members refused to participate in an alliance with ERC and the CUP, neither at the beginning of the term nor later in a no-confidence motion that was negotiated for weeks. Be that as it may, Orriols has boasted about the shift that, in her opinion, Junts has undergone since Aliança's entry into the institutions. "Vox didn't speak Catalan in Parliament, and Junts didn't monitor voter registration lists before we emerged. Despite being the smallest party, we are influencing Catalan politics," she emphasized. Regarding the municipal elections, the leader of the far-right pro-independence party announced that the candidate in Barcelona will be "a well-known figure," but declined to provide further details because the candidates for the four provincial capitals will be revealed on Sant Jordi's Day. On the selection of mayoral candidates, she admitted that "some people have approached our party because they already hold office and want to run under our banner, and we are also seeking out others hoping that the political isolation measures won't prevent them from joining." She acknowledged, however, that "the stigma attached to us makes potential candidates hesitant." Orriols confirmed that she will run for reelection as mayor of Ripoll and left open the possibility of not running for Parliament. "In Ripoll, I will definitely run because it's a project I want to continue developing, and I want to see if the population supports me or if I've lost their trust. But in Parliament, we're looking for leading figures, and I don't know if I'll run again because it's not easy to hold two public offices." He did reiterate that they will not contest the Congress, but admitted that they haven't yet decided whether or not to field a list in the European elections.

"We will have to make risky and difficult decisions to protect future generations."

The leader of Aliança advocated for a moratorium on immigration and endorsed some of the immigration measures that far-right world leaders like Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni are implementing in their countries. Thus, when questioned by the audience about the controversial raids being carried out by ICE in the United States, which have resulted in the detention and even killing of minors, the xenophobic leader avoided endorsing the actions of the US immigration enforcement agency, but neither did she vehemently criticize them. "We don't agree with some of the images we see, but to protect future generations, we will have to take some measures that may seem drastic and difficult," she stated. Avoiding focusing on the policies of the US president, Orriols preferred to talk about Meloni, whom she praised for fulfilling her campaign promises. In this regard, she predicted that many of the immigration measures being implemented by some states will eventually be adopted in Spain. "This will also happen in Catalonia, and it's inevitable because of the influx of migrants we're experiencing," he emphasized. In this regard, he endorsed the referendum promoted by the far right for Switzerland to approve limit the population to ten million And he stated that Catalonia has already reached its limit. "We are already above the figure; we were prepared for 6 million inhabitants, but not for 8 million, as can be seen with the problems we have in the education and healthcare sectors, with the public services overwhelmed." "We cannot continue with this perpetual growth because GDP doesn't grow at the same rate, and in the end, you don't incentivize the labor market; instead, people who arrive end up living on subsidies," he emphasized, concluding that the solution lies in hiring workers from their countries of origin.

Continuing with international alliances, Orriols made it clear that "Catalonia only has interests, and we cannot rule out any alliance" after being asked about his unconditional support for the US or Israel. He also defended a future referendum in an independent Catalonia on joining the EU or NATO, but warned that they do not believe in a European Union that "imposes restrictions that affect our interests." Among those attending the conference were former Convergència i Unió (CiU) deputy Germà Gordó, implicated in the 3% corruption case; former PSC and PP leaders Jaume Sobrequés and Manuel Milián Mestre; and the president of the Council of the Republic, Jordi Domingo. Also present was former JNC member Josep Arcas, who was suspended from membership at the end of 2024 due to a harassment complaint, as well as representatives of business associations such as Foment, Pimec or the Chamber of Commerce.