Jordi Graupera: "Someone has to say no to PP and PSOE"

BarcelonaParliamentary boycott and the destabilization of the State are the cornerstones of Alhora, the clearly pro-independence project that is running in the general elections for the first time. For the moment, the party led by Jordi Graupera has secured the endorsements needed to run in the elections, tripling (16,000) those required. Alhora debuted in the last Catalan elections but suffered a significant setback, ending up with only 13,000 votes, 0.4% of the total. The presidential candidate believes that one situation cannot be equated with the other: "Two years ago we were six founders, six days later they called the elections and six weeks later was the polling day; now we have 650 militants, we have 1,200 volunteers and we hold large events and campaigns. We have obtained more endorsements than votes two years ago; the growth is obvious".

In conversation with ARA, Graupera is convinced that "the simple existence of an actor that puts independence at the center and does not let itself be dragged along by immigration is already a gain". In this sense, he denies that they decided to run after Aliança, soaring in the polls, opted not to make the leap to Madrid: "They will run in the Catalan elections and we will be there too". "The decision was posed as a duty; a non-surrenderist proposal was needed, so it wouldn't be said that there was no political movement to rearticulate political independence," he adds.

"The 'Procés' parties do nothing but defend their own interests, such as obtaining amnesty, ending disqualifications, or defending their lobbies, and this must end," he states in a direct criticism of Junts and ERC. "What Catalan politics has not done is go to Madrid to say no, and that is what we will do, because Spain has no incentive to comply with Catalonia," he declares, citing the declaration of independence as an example. "When they saw it was going nowhere, they had enough just sending them into exile or prison," he concludes. For this reason, he advocates making the State ungovernable. "We have to make it explicit that the conflict exists and take it to Spain, because right now we only suffer it in Catalonia, when immersion is not fulfilled in schools or your lawyer recommends you speak in Spanish if you want to win a trial".

He will not invest any candidate

Alhora plans to take this boycott to its ultimate consequences. If their vote is essential, they will not invest in any candidate and will opt for a repeat election. Even in the event that it would give a second chance to a PP and Vox government. "The power to destabilize the State has already been in the hands of Catalonia. Generating the maximum possible instability is our goal to force the State to pay the price for ignoring the will of the Catalans. We are going to boycott the State because someone has to say no, because if not, we will not manage to drag the State into saying yes", he concludes. They will not vote in favor of social proposals or measures that could benefit Catalonia either, because they consider that "Spain always breaks its promises, as has been seen with the management of Renfe, which will remain in the hands of the State".

Alhora's candidacies in the four Catalan constituencies will be led by the party president, Jordi Graupera, in Barcelona; the vice-president, Júlia Ojeda, in Girona; the writer linked to the Menjòmetre Miquel Bonet, in Tarragona; and the former Junts deputy Cristina Casol in Lleida. Casol had already been approached to be the head of the list for Alhora and also for Aliança in the Catalan elections, although at that time she refused both offers. This was announced this Tuesday by the party in a statement, in which it claimed to have brought together independent grassroots militants, such as Txevi Buigas, one of the CDR members charged in Operation Judas and who has recently been amnestied, who will close the list for Barcelona. The former minister Clara Ponsatí, who was the candidate for Parliament, will not be there, but who ended up stepping down due to the poor results at the polls. "She is a party militant and she helps us, but after the last elections she passed the torch, being the only one from October 1st who has done so", highlights Graupera.