Puigdemont makes changes in Junts: Sales will be the leader in Parliament and Vergés, the public face

BarcelonaThe Junts parliamentary group's composition has been a major headache for the national leadership throughout this legislative term. While awaiting Carles Puigdemont's return and the question of what role he would play in the Catalan chamber, the leadership headed by the former president decided on Monday to replace Albert Batet as president of the parliamentary group and appoint the current spokesperson, Mònica Sales, to take over. However, this comes with a promotion for Batet, who will become Puigdemont's right-hand man in the leadership: specifically, she will serve as deputy to the party president and campaign director. Furthermore, party vice president Salvador Vergés was chosen as the parliamentary spokesperson.

The party made this decision at a meeting of its permanent leadership this Monday in Waterloo: Batet will step down as leader of the parliamentary group and become deputy to the president for institutional coordination and strategy, in addition to assuming the political and operational direction of the party's electoral campaigns in the Congress and the Parliament of Catalonia. Sources familiar with the change say she will focus on the party, as campaign manager in the event of early elections, and especially on "preparing for Puigdemont's return." "The turning point is the split in Madrid and the possible early elections," a source consulted stated. Thus, the source commented that the party is "positioning itself to face the new challenges." The new responsibilities made it "incompatible" for Batet to manage everything at once, while a "regeneration" within the group has been prepared with "rising" figures.

On the other hand, according to a statement issued by Junts, Batet's appointment as deputy to the presidency "aims to strengthen the presidency's dialogue with the business community, productive sectors, employers' associations, unions, and all strategic economic stakeholders," as well as "to act as a liaison between the presidency and parliament and manage all political" and "institutional" aspects that Puigdemont wishes to delegate. Batet has already played this role throughout her career, especially since the decisive influence of Puigdemont's party in Madrid, where she has cultivated relationships with the business community in a context where the party has acquired stakes in several state-owned companies and regulatory bodies. "They're calling for him," sources within the party note, referring to the business world. Another voice emphasizes that "now the party is gearing up for Puigdemont's return, something disruptive." Batet had never held executive responsibilities of this level within Junts, and with this appointment, she formally becomes a "strongman" of the former president, according to sources consulted, but with a change of role. However, she had held a position of trust in electoral campaigns, namely campaign manager, which she is now repeating.

Triple bet

This move by Junts reveals a three-pronged strategy: in the Catalan Parliament, it consolidates Sales' position and elevates Vergés within the group in a "regeneration" operation. As this newspaper has confirmed, the aim was to boost the opposition to Salvador Illa, based on the analysis that it could function better with an alternative in the chamber, similar to the one desired by the mayors. But, in parallel, the party has rewarded Albert Batet, who has always been Puigdemont's right-hand man and most trusted confidant, and who will always be part of his team.

Now Sales will have more freedom of action, and Vergés continues to rise as one of the most highly regarded figures within the party's municipal sphere. Many Junts mayors have long been calling for a leading figure in the Parliament, and even for a leader of the opposition, a position that has not yet been filled pending Puigdemont's situation. Among their demands was one name they wanted to see rise internally: Salvador Vergés. That's why, following the promotion, joy has emerged in the local community: "Very happy for Salvador Vergés," commented one municipal source consulted. His appointment also represents a step towards addressing some of that demand with someone with whom the mayors have a close relationship. The "face" they wanted has finally arrived, it's clear, in a decision that represents a role reversal that could be carried out without uproar, following last year's Junts congress, in which the party was "reformed" with the tandem of Puigdemont and Jordi Turull, after the era of Laura Borràs.

The report on the amnesty

Another point highlighted by Junts is that, in a context of "new challenges" and following last week's report by the Advocate General of the European Union, "which validates the amnesty law and the plausible return of President Carles Puigdemont," the party has decided to strengthen itself internally and make several changes in the Catalan Parliament. Batet had served as president of the parliamentary group since September 2019, and Sales became spokesperson in June 2021. Similarly, Vergés joins the party's permanent leadership, the core of the organization, along with the deputy spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament, Jeannine Abella, who heads the Junts per Lleida list. Both Sales and Batet have expressed their gratitude for their respective new positions, with a message to the leadership, to which, in the case of the outgoing parliamentary president, he added a wish of luck for the transition: "The leadership of the parliamentary group is in very good hands, with Mònica Sales and Salvador Vergés at the helm," he told X.