The president of Congress and number one of the Socialist candidacy for Barcelona, Meritxell Batet, has apologized on her Twitter account for saying in an interview that "the majority of the population has no problem continuing to pay the rent", some words that had caused him criticism from his parliamentary partners from Sumar, ERC and Bildu.
In his rectification message, Batet has admitted that he had not explained himself well in the interview on Cadena SER and has wanted to make it clear that he is aware of what "it costs" to pay for a house. "The payment of rent and mortgages represent a large part of the income of families each month," she added. He has also taken advantage of his message to say that the Government has been "the first" that has set limits to the increase in the rental price, of 2% in 2023 and 3% in 2024.
And it is that, the statements of the head of the PSC list for Barcelona have caused a stir among the usual allies of the PSOE in the Legislature. Sumar's campaign spokesman and MEP for the commons, Ernest Urtasun, has also denounced on the social network that the rent increase in Spain "is a social problem of enormous magnitude."
In addition, Urtasun has taken advantage of the tweet to reproach the PSOE for eliminating the automatic extension in rental contracts in the latest anti-crisis aid decree, approved last Tuesday by the Council of Ministers. "(It is) an error that should be corrected", he has apostilled him.
In similar terms, the head of the Sumar list for Barcelona, Aina Vidal; and the housing spokesperson for Sumar and leader of Podemos, Alejandra Jacinto. "While anyone who goes around any real estate portal sees how the prices are unaffordable and do not stop rising," Jacinto pointed out.
For his part, the spokesman for Esquerra Republicana (ERC) in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, has collected Batet's statements to send a message: "If you cannot pay the rent and you vote the same as Batet, who is wrong, she Or you? Think about it," he reflected on his Twitter account.
Finally, the deputy spokesman for EH Bildu in Congress, Oskar Matute, has been forceful in reproaching Batet that those who do not have difficulties paying rent will be "the majority of the population that she knows".
However, Matute considers that "there are realities much broader than those that reach his sight." "The realities of the working class, youth, women and precarious people", he concluded.
