Salvador Illa copies Sánchez's strategy to act as a bulwark against the far right

BarcelonaThe President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, came to power promising to turn the page on the independence process and open a new chapter in Catalonia focused on improving public services in collaboration with the Spanish government. Both messages They appeared in his first St. Stephen's Day speechwhere he defended "fraternity" between territories to build a common project in Spain. Now, with the passing of months and the rise of Aliança Catalana and Vox—at least in the polls—confrontation with the far right has gained prominence in his speeches. This was, in fact, the heart of his St. Stephen's Day message this year: "What is at stake in Europe today goes beyond a merely political issue. Our way of life, our democratic coexistence, and our shared prosperity are at stake," he warned.

Illa has been adopting the same strategy with which Pedro Sánchez managed to mobilize the left in the 2023 general elections, calling for a united vote for the PSOE to prevent a PP-Vox government. In a year in which the immigration debate has shaken Catalan politics, the president has openly defended the contribution of newcomers to Catalan culture and the economy and the need to address this debate from a "humanist" perspective.

The argument Isla keeps repeating to discredit Sílvia Orriols is that her project will "fail," both in Ripoll and in the rest of Catalonia. Sources from the Presidency justify this position by arguing that a country cannot be governed through "hatred," although The CEO already places the far-right separatist movement in third position.tied with Juntos at 20 seats. "When he tells me I'll fail, he doesn't tell me so I can predict or sense it. He does it because he needs to," Orriols retorted in the last question time session. Isla had accused him of being a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and had recommended he use the holidays to read Paco Candel. a reference point that the Catalan left has revived To enhance the value of national construction through integration.

The position with Juntos

The messages against Vox are similar. Both Sánchez and Isla criticize Vox for basing its project on "hatred" and alliances with international extremists, from Donald Trump to Viktor Orban. including Javier Milei either Vladimir PutinThey counter this with the defense of universally accessible public services, where everyone is served "without regard to skin color, which god they worship, or their wealth," Isla often says. The Socialists' strategy against Vox is also a strategy against Alberto Núñez Feijóo's PP, whom they accuse had they adopted more extreme theses to stem the flow of votes to the far right. In Catalonia, Comuns and ERC have accused Junts of having done exactly the same thing to prevent the hemorrhage to Aliança, with issues like the Islamic veil or voter registration fraud.

This is a step that, for the moment, Salvador Illa has not taken: Junts still instinctively wants him to join the "national" pacts and return at the table with the PSOE in MadridOutside the Palau de la Generalitat, some voices within the PSC have dared to speak out. "If someone hasn't been able to stop the growth of Aliança Catalana within the pro-independence movement, it's not our fault," retorted the spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament, Elena Díaz, when the CUP accused the PSC of confronting Orriols in order to remove him, positioning themselves as the only effective bulwark against the far right. In Sant Cugat del Vallès, the Socialists have accused the government of copying Aliança's model by hindering the registration of migrants. If nothing changes, the first election where the PSC can test the effectiveness of its strategy against Vox and Aliança will be the 2027 municipal elections. Isla also frequently reminds everyone that the law is the same for everyone and that "whoever breaks it will pay the price," a line that the Socialists vehemently defend in the region and with which they hope to quell anxieties. The snow in public spaces. "We are at a time when fear is highly valued, and what we must do is stand with the citizens, govern better," a Socialist mayor tells ARA. Another PSC mayor agrees and emphasizes that it is necessary to explain to people "the truth" about what can and cannot be done, right there on the street: "We must not hide," he maintains. Beyond Illa's discourse, in Palau they are convinced that the formula to stop the advance of the far right Security and housing policies are key issues.

The other battle to be won, according to various socialist sources, is being fought on social media. The party is leveraging younger profiles for TikTok content. One of the most successful is the PSC's leader in Badalona, Fernando Carrera, whose challenge is to challenge Xavier García Albiol, the PP mayor with a more indisputable majority in Catalonia and a harsher rhetoric. Carrera, in fact, is one of the PSC officials with the most TikTok followers: he has over 89,000. To put this in context, these figures dwarf those of Ignacio Garriga of Vox, who, with almost 92,000, is the leader in the Catalan Parliament with the most followers on this platform, far ahead of Isla (3,800) or Puigdemont (23,200). Albiol has 107,000, Colau 33,000, and Gabriel Rufián 485,000.