Miriam Nogueras: "Owning a property is being demonized"

Two riversMiriam Nogueras (Dosrius, 1980) is the candidate for Junts in the Spanish elections. After having been decisive three years ago, the 'juntaires' hope to be decisive again in the next legislature. ARA meets her at the municipal swimming pool of Dosrius, where she learned to swim.

She has ruled out making Feijóo president. What would be the price of investing Sánchez?

— For a majority of the citizens of Catalonia, a change is essential. In 2023 we already decided that we were closing the door on a PP and Vox government, and we stand by that. And if there is an alternative, we are willing to consider it. What we will not do under any circumstances is give another opportunity to a person who has already had it for three years, who is Mr. Sánchez, and who has not known how to take advantage of it.

In other words, neither Feijóo nor Sánchez, but it could be another socialist candidate.

— We already put the Starmer way on the table.

Is the economic agreement the minimum necessary condition to support a socialist candidate?

— There are several. What we are very clear about is that what we put at the center is Catalonia. We want to manage our own money. Between 2014 and 2024, during the PP and PSOE governments, Catalonia was not even paid half of what was budgeted for infrastructure, while in Madrid they have received double that amount.

But without an economic agreement, will there be no votes from Junts?

— It is basic. If the Basques can manage their own money, so can the Catalans. And if the PSOE in the Basque Country defends the Basque concert, it makes perfect sense for the socialists in Catalonia to defend it as well.

In 2023 they also said that Sánchez would not be president with their votes. Why should we believe them now?

— We said no to Pedro Sánchez because he was saying no to the amnesty, to Catalan, to a law against multi-recidivism... and after the elections everything becomes a yes.

Was it a good agreement, considering that the amnesty was achieved?

— I believe it was essential for us all to be able to play on a level playing field because there is no normality while political representatives are in exile or have been in prison. This amnesty has been well worth it.

Is Junts a right-wing party?

— Junts defends the interests of Catalonia. And when they ask me if we are right-wing or left-wing, I also give examples of votes we have cast. Those who call themselves left-wing have voted yes to compensation for Florentino Pérez. The Spanish right and left blocs do not concern us. I vote according to my own criteria. The one who has voted most with the PP and Vox is called PSOE.

But you have voted with the PP and Vox in votes of an ideological nature such as the reduction of the working day or maintaining the extraordinary tax on energy companies.

— You are talking to me about headlines, I am talking to you about the law. The law on energy companies excluded the five major Spanish electric companies from this tax. Is creating laws and taxes for major electric companies and then leaving some of them out right-wing or left-wing?

Is Vox a red line?

— Junts is the only party in Congress that has never in its life come out to challenge Vox. Everyone who says they want to put an end to Vox comes out to question them, and in doing so, they feed them.

Your no to the housing decree brought down the Sánchez government. Is this a decision you feel proud of?

— No, ours does not bring down the legislature, it is Mr. Sánchez who has a button and decides which day to call elections. We presented a proposal that temporarily prohibits vulture funds from buying and allows for the protection of families. What we are saying is that with a person who is vulnerable and cannot pay the rent, it should be done like in Germany: it is the administration that automatically not only takes charge of the debt, but pays it.

But the decree provides for it. It adds a section to article 22 of the Civil Procedure Law which states that it must be the administration that has to pay if it cannot offer a housing alternative.

— What the law says is that the debtor becomes the administration, but in this text there are no guarantees. And they set a limit of one or two owners. What we are saying is that with this law the payment is not being guaranteed.

Do you not trust that the State will pay? The law is written and published.

— No, this law does not guarantee payment, guarantees are missing, and it is an accumulation of legal uncertainty.

You have always said that you do not look favorably upon rent caps. What proposal does Junts have to lower rental prices in the next twelve months?

— We must invest in public housing. One of the measures we presented to ease the market was to temporarily prevent vulture funds from being able to buy.

Junts is the party that has the fewest tenants among its voters and the most homeowners without a mortgage, according to the CEO. Does this influence their position?

— The week before the approval of this royal decree, I was called by a woman named Anna, whose mother had died and from whom she inherited her apartment. Later she lost her husband and inherited two properties. Therefore, she became a large property holder. But she cannot afford all the taxes of owning these properties. She told me: “Help us”. The day before the vote on the royal decree in the executive committee I said: “I do not know how many Annas are in Catalonia, but if we do not defend them, no one will defend them, and I do not care if we lose votes”.

Does having fewer tenants among their voters affect the position they take, or do they do it thinking about the citizenry as a whole?

— Absolutely. 70% of people own their own home. Catalonia is a country where owning property is now being demonized; it seems that if you own a property, you are rich. Saving, owning your own apartment, is being demonized. The model is not just renting, there is also the property model.

Another central theme of the campaign is immigration. Are there too many immigrants in Catalonia?

— What exists is a lack of immigration policy, and because of this, in Spain, it has been necessary to resort to a mass regularization every so often. One must be stricter in control and guarantee the integration of people who want to come and put down roots in a nation. This implies having an employment contract and learning the language. Neither "everyone out" nor "everyone in" is the solution. Order and control are necessary, and for this reason, we have spent a year negotiating the delegation of powers.

Is it good news that Aliança Catalana is not running in the general elections?

— What is clear to me is that wherever political decisions that affect us are made, we must be there.

According to CIS data, one in five voters for Aliança Catalana in the Catalan elections says they will vote for Vox in the general elections. Does it surprise you?

— What I would love is for the citizens of Catalonia to decide to give even more strength to those of us who have shown that we put Catalonia at the center, instead of giving strength to Spanish parties that are subordinate to Catalanophobic ideologies, which cut back on rights. There are also those who say that the one losing votes is the PSC and, for that reason, these elections have been called very quickly, to return to the Spanish right-wing and left-wing blocs.

Will Puigdemont's return mitigate the flight of votes towards Aliança Catalana?

— The return of the president is an act that hopefully would have happened much sooner. The normality we have lived through is terrible and we are very eager for him to be here and for it to be him who can explain himself and say what he will do and how.

Is there a date for their return? How are they?

— He knows this. He is, as always, very strong. To have preserved the figure of the president in exile for nine years is a milestone that very few people would have been capable of achieving. If today we all remain standing, it is thanks to the fact that he has remained standing.

And do you see him as a candidate for the Generalitat? Would he like it?

— I would love to. There is no political asset as powerful, as committed as him.

I do not know if you would like it in the future.

— In no case. Neither now nor ever.

And when is independence coming?

— I hope we regain strength. In the end, this is a process.

What would be a good result on November 29th?

— May we have the strength to continue deciding what happens in Madrid.

Seven deputies, is maintaining the result a good outcome?

— If we are decisive it is a very good result.