Rosa Suriñach: "We do not present ourselves to be a counter-power within ERC"

BarcelonaRosa Suriñach (Barcelona, 1981) is a councilor of ERC in the Barcelona City Council and a candidate to preside over the federation with the candidacy Construïm Barcelona, which brings together the critics.

Why does she decide to take the step?

— It is a step that is never easy, but now I am more convinced than ever. We are joining a group of people who believe it is necessary for the Barcelona federation, which represents the militancy, to be the one to set the political course of the party.

Do you think this is the main difference with the other candidacy?

— Yes. We present two models. One that is more focused on how the municipal group shapes the direction. I know the work of the municipal group well, it is very necessary. But we say that, without abandoning this part of territorial coordination, which is necessary, we are at the key moment for the party to take its political direction.

Is one of the people who resigned from the previous executive. What do you think went wrong?

— The resignation, which was as a bloc, is more related to the coherence and political responsibility of a project that we saw as very difficult to move forward. The debates about what the federation's role should be we already had internally. It is not the trigger, but passing through that federation helps me to take the step now.

What relationship should the federation have with the municipal group?

— It must be totally coordinated. It is the federation that has the capacity to set the model and the political lines. Until now, the relationship in the political, economic, etc. sphere depended on each moment, on each context. We want to break this, because we have seen that it is always a cause of disagreement or negotiation. We propose a protocol for relations between the municipal group and the Barcelona federation, agreed upon and voted by the membership.

And what should be the relationship with the national leadership? The other candidacy accuses them of wanting to act as a counter-power.

— We are not presenting ourselves to be a counter-power to the national one, but to build a party from Barcelona. With a very clear direction of what Esquerra's ideological values are: from the left, social justice and what it means to work with a horizon of independence.

They have obtained 160 endorsements, but the other candidacy has doubled them. How do you explain it?

— We wanted to break the idea that the collection of endorsements should define the vote. In 48 hours, we presented a hundred. We have no desire to turn endorsements into a kind of advanced primary election.

Would you be in favor of entering into a government with Jaume Collboni?

— First, Jaume Collboni must win. Coalition governments are necessary in the current political moment. We must be very clear ideologically about what we want as ERC. We must have a clear agreement and see a win. Any agreement must be transparently transferred in a process towards the membership.

What role should the federation play in the negotiation?

— She has to lead everything. Obviously with the municipal group, with Elisenda Alamany and with the team she considers.

In the consultation that was suspended two years ago, were you in favor of entering the municipal government?

— I was not a member and I was not voting at that time. There was a lack of transparency in the whole process and that made it very difficult to move forward.

But did you see it necessary for Esquerra to enter the government?

— It is difficult for me to think that it was necessary for the specific moment we were in. There would have been more suitable moments.

Would you like to be part of Elisenda Alamany's candidacy?

— Now my focus is on the candidacy for the federation. It's difficult for me to say no in case it ends up happening later, but it's not my priority to be a councilor again.