The possibility of there being an electoral repetition in a few months, if there are no movements in the starting positions expressed by both the PSOE and Junts, is an option that must be taken into account. The former president of the Generalitat Artur Mas, in this regard, pointed out this Monday that "repeating the general elections at all costs" is reckless.
But he considers in the conversations with the socialists that the repetition scenario should not be "feared", although he warns JxCat that repeating the elections at all costs is "recklessness". In addition, to reinforce that message, he points out that it is not "a desirable scenario" because after the July 23 elections the pro-independence parties have "the key to everything" and it might not be like that afterwards.
This is how the former president spoke in statements to Catalunya Ràdio, in an interview in which he also had advice for his former successor at the Palau de la Generalitat. In this sense, he has recommended to the former president Carles Puigdemont that in the negotiation with the PSOE for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez he be "more demanding than intransigent."
In any case, Mas, who is not a member of Junts but has campaigned alongside Míriam Nogueras and has approached Jordi Turull's formation in recent months, has pointed out that he has not yet been able to speak "calmly" with Puigdemont.
For the negotiation that, foreseeably, will open after the constitution of the Congress of Deputies on August 17, according to what was declared these days by the acting president of the Government, Mas defends a "joint strategy" between Junts and ERC –which for him does not mean “going 100% together”– that allows addressing “the solution of the political conflict between Catalonia and the State”.
In fact, the former president recalled that the current president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, "a short time ago" defended that "the big issues" to discuss with the Government were amnesty and the referendum, so he does not see it as impossible to agree " a common roadmap. "When you have a decisive position in Spanish politics, you must play it in favor of your project", stressed Mas, who highlighted the importance of showing "cohesion" in Madrid.
Regarding the options for the PSOE and Sánchez to accept the holding of a referendum, Mas believes that it is "almost impossible", but at the same time he wanted to be cautious and asked to "wait for the first movements of the socialists together with Sumar": " Are they willing to do what they haven't done in the last four years? "If the PSOE-Sumar tandem does not want to address the solution of the conflict, it must understand that negotiation with the pro-independence parties is not easy," he continued.
Likewise, he has urged the Socialists to take "the first steps" to opt for a parliamentary majority, since he considers that "the ultimate responsibility for this negotiation does not lie with Junts or ERC." "The responsibility cannot be transferred to the minority (parties) that have to sit at the table" of negotiation, Mas has ruled.
