Two weeks to avoid repeating the mistakes of the last four years
It has been four weeks since the Catalans decided that the political scenario had to continue, more or less, with the same majorities as in the last legislature. Four weeks of trial and error that have left only one novelty with respect to previous scenarios: the CUP assumes one of the secretariats of the Parliamentary Bureau. It is not the place that the cupaires, who were in opposition to the presidency, had hoped for, nor does it make them necessary. JxCat and ERC have guaranteed themselves four of the seven members and, therefore, an absolute majority to make decisions. The Republicans have also reserved an alternative majority with the PSC in case they are not convinced by some of the decisions of the new president of the chamber, Laura Borràs.
As if the negotiation of the Bureau was not linked to that of the investiture, now the pro-independence parties have conspired to reach an agreement that invites Pere Aragonès before the end of March. And, unlike in the Bureau, here the CUP's support is essential. The anti-capitalists have not been satisfied with how the meetings have gone so far, and Friday sent an email to the militancy warning that "the legislature does not start off on the right foot". The criticism is mainly focused on JxCat, who they believe has prioritized "the interests of the party to those of the country" in the negotiation of the table.
Trust has been cracked and it seems clear that the CUP is no longer in the race to be part of the Government. Sources of JxCat and ERC have assumed it and they are called to complete the pending discussions. There are still many, among which are the distribution of Ministries and the policies to be promoted by the new administration. They have not yet finalised the roadmap that was prioritised in the first phase of contacts. The timetable is one of the main stumbling blocks. The CUP insists on a unilateral referendum for 2025 and JxCat wants to put an expiry date on the dialogue table that ERC wants to maintain with the Spanish government. If there is no progress, the next step to be taken would have to be negotiated, according to the party headed by Carles Puigdemont.
At the last minute, the composition of the Bureau was finally defined and now there does not seem to be enough time to arrive with the homework done by 26 March, the deadline for the first investiture debate. However, not everything has been sterile. The role of Borràs, who will probably hand over the leadership of Junts in the Government to Elsa Artadi in the economic vice-presidency, has been defined, and sui generis proposals such as the four-sided "broad road" advocated by ERC - the relationship between the Republicans and the Comuns is not going through its best moment either - have been set aside. Efforts will be directed towards generating a new relationship of trust between JxCat and ERC that avoids the constant bickering of the past legislature. For the moment, Borràs has already openly criticised her predecessor, Roger Torrent, and Marta Vilalta has responded that it is she who "is being exposed". Good omens.
