These weeks mark the fiftieth anniversary of the dictator's death and the restoration of the monarchy in Spain. A significant sector of the state establishment has sought to transform this anniversary into an uncritical celebration of the monarchy, presenting it as the natural antithesis of the dictatorship and little more than the democratic unifying force of a supposedly exemplary Transition. But this interpretation is a historical falsehood. To ignore that the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy was precisely a decision made by the Franco regime itself to guarantee the continuity of its fundamental elements is an insult to democratic intelligence. And for this reason, today it is essential to speak plainly to avoid a new collective amnesia.

This Wednesday marks five years since the first meeting of the negotiating table between the Catalan and Spanish governments. After years of repression and escalation of the conflict by the Spanish state (with the sentence against political prisoners, forced exiles due to persecution and the opening of hundreds of legal cases), a turning point occurred and we sat face to face. It was the recognition, as was later put in writing in the joint statement of both governments, of "the political nature of the conflict and that it requires a political solution." We were beginning a stage that would lead to the release of political prisoners, the elimination of the crime of sedition and, finally, the approval of the amnesty law.

In the face of covid-19, the social and economic crisis it has provoked, and the deadlock of the conflict with the State, the elections to the Catalan Parliament on 14 February presented us with a historic opportunity to transform the country; to confront with determination the social emergencies that we are suffering and that the pandemic has aggravated; to promote an economic reconstruction aimed at laying the foundations of a new productive model that measures its strength in terms of prosperity and well-being for everyone; and to take advantage of all the strength that comes from having received over 50% of the votes for the first time to defend the Catalan Republic as never before, to obtain amnesty and self-determination inevitable.

25 February 2020. Alba Vergés: "I'm on the train on my way to Madrid for the Interterritorial Council, a meeting that takes place periodically between health ministers. This time the agenda is focused on the new variant of the coronavirus, about which we know very little. The phone rings. It's the Secretary of Public Health, Joan Guix. He confirms that we have the first case in Catalonia. The news hits the press shortly afterwards and a swarm of journalists is waiting for me in Madrid. Pere Aragonès: "It's Tuesday, government day, and I'm at the Palau. Minister Vergés informs me by message that the first case has been confirmed in Catalonia. She is on her way to Madrid. The whole team is immediately activated and the first meetings begin. We are concerned about the patient's condition and the measures that have to be taken. It is now half past seven in the evening and we continue to meet with the health team. I know that the Catalan health system is very prepared, but I am worried about the uncertainty and the lack of knowledge about the virus".