BarcelonaAfter nearly a month of sick leave, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, returned to work on Monday, including an institutional statement, and on Tuesday he gave his first interview, to TV3. The country went through a wave of crises, from the doctors' and teachers' strikes to the farmers' protests and the commuter rail chaos, but on Monday the President already stressed that he knew "what Catalonia needs." The rail chaos led to calls for the resignation and censure of the Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, by the Catalan Parliament, but the President backed her and ruled out any kind of dismissal, while also closing the door on the vote of confidence demanded by Junts. "The members of the Government have risen to the occasion and have responded," he stated. And he went even further, applauding Paneque. "He's doing a good job managing all the issues he's handling, he's been upfront," he asserted. And he responded, indirectly, to Carles Puigdemont's party. "I don't feel that the trust the chamber placed in me is in question," he declared. Although he acknowledged that it has been a "more difficult" period, he pointed out that "the Catalan government has been where it needed to be" and that the solution to the train service disruption lies in measures on the tracks, with the purchase of equipment and "accelerating the rollout of Cercanías Catalunya," the public-private partnership resulting from the transfer agreement with ERC. However, he has placed the approval of the Generalitat's budget on the table as an absolute priority and added that he is "intensifying" efforts to have it ready soon. "The country needs a budget. I will do everything I have to do to get a budget," he commented. To that end, he committed to the investiture agreement with ERC, but also to addressing the ban on speculative housing purchases demanded by Comuns. Despite this scenario, he indicated that he would like to talk with all the groups. Regarding financing, he expressed his willingness to open negotiations with Junts and also committed to obtaining the personal income tax revenue, agreed upon with ERC, although the matter was postponed in the lower house.
Your health
The president commented that the night before his hospitalization for osteomyelitis, he noticed a "slight discomfort in his adductors," an "intense pain." The following day, everything worsened, and the pain prevented him from continuing his schedule. He then made himself available to the doctors and delegated his duties to the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau. "Of my own volition and on medical advice, I have focused on recovering," he said. Despite the uncertainty of the first few hours, he said he did not "fear" for his life and assured everyone that he is now "well." "I am still on medication; the treatment lasts eight weeks, and this is the fifth. I have gradually returned to work," he concluded. Regarding the debate on the ban on the burka and niqab, Illa lamented that there is "an artificial element" to this demand, which is being made especially by right-wing parties. He is convinced that this is not one of the main problems for citizens—in fact, he has even said that he "doesn't see burkas or niqabs on the street"—but he has emphasized that he doesn't like them and that they are "degrading" for women.
Reactions
Following the interview, Mònica Sales, president of the Junts group in the Catalan Parliament, lamented to X that President Isla had not offered "any self-criticism" regarding "the collapse Catalonia is suffering" or the "mismanagement" of his administration, even endorsing the work of Councilor Paneque, whom she described as "disastrous." Sales also criticized the head of the Catalan government for having "no vision" and "no willingness to stand up to the central government, nor any ambition to reverse the country's serious situation," in her view. "His propaganda no longer masks his incompetence," she concluded.
Vox's general secretary, Ignacio Garriga, also reacted, but in relation to Isla's statements about the burka and the niqab. "Isla should get out of his official car more often and visit cities and neighborhoods like Salt. [...] He would even see shops where the niqab and the burka are sold," he retorted.
