There are times when the axes of a country move noisily. And there are others where interesting movements take place without a lot of noise. This Thursday, under the summer heat and with some gunboats from the Madrid press on vacation, Junts per Catalunya has crossed the border.
The heir to Convergència Democràtica, the current that best knows the political desires and psychological springs of an important part of Catalan society – to the point that today they do not want to be called convergents – cautiously returns to Spanish politics. The convergent gene is eventually reactivated. It does so with many precautions, demanding certificates and setting political and material conditions that will be the subject of intense discussion in a few weeks, but it is crossing the border. It has not yet arrived in Girona. It is in Besalú, not far from Amer.
It may seem like a domestic matter for Catalan society, with little attraction for the rest of Spain, but it is of general interest, as Alberto Núñez Feijóo knows very well, who this Thursday attended the constitution of the new Congress with a worried face and self-absorbed gesture. , because that border crossing cannot be administered by the conservative party.
Attention to the following data. For the first time in a long time, there is no relevant and representative political group in Spain camped on the margins of the system, of their own free will or as a consequence of the ups and downs of the political struggle. They are all inside, wanting to influence the Spanish Parliament. EH Bildu is inside, and now the heirs of Convergència, who crossed the border for very different reasons, six years ago, are returning. In the contemporary history of Spain there has almost always been someone camped outside the walls, in exile, in hiding or in forced ostracism. The last episode of estrangement has entered the correction phase. That is the most substantive novelty of the day on Thursday.
More news. Just three months ago, just a month ago, proposing the immediate introduction of Catalan, Basque and Galician in the debates in Congress would have caused an impressive row. The PSOE would not have dared for fear of losing votes in many parts of Spain. On Thursday, Francina Armengol, the new president of the Congress, concluded her greeting speech announcing that from the next session these three languages will be able to be used, in addition to Spanish.
Núñez Feijóo, suffering leader of the main branch of the Spanish right, who has preferably used Galician throughout his intense political career in Galicia, knows that opposing this decision is not a good battlefield today for the construction of a solid liberal-conservative alternative in Spain. Another thing is what Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Vox think.
In a few months the paradox may arise that it is easier to speak Catalan in Congress than in some areas of Valencian and Balearic society, where the extreme right wants to revive the linguistic battle. The attitude adopted by the PP on this issue in the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands will be of great political importance. The spotlights are on and will be visible from Brussels.
The language issue has been at the center of the negotiation between the acting government and Junts. When Yolanda Díaz proposed facilitating the use of the co-official languages in Congress a few weeks ago, she spoke knowingly. When Pedro Sánchez promised his deputies and senators the day before yesterday to work actively for the official recognition of Catalan in the European Union, he also spoke with full knowledge of the facts. This has been one of the central demands of Carles Puigdemont. The leader of Junts wants to champion this cause in the European Parliament with the active support of the Spanish Government. At some point – if an investiture pact is reached – Puigdemont will physically cross the border. He now wants to cross another: to stop being perceived as a marginal politician in Europe. Obtain consideration and respect. In June next year there will be far-reaching European elections and he will surely be a candidate again.
Third novelty of the day. The abrupt break of the Popular Party with Vox. After learning of the PSOE's agreement with Junts and Esquerra for the election of Armengol, the PP informed Vox that it was not going to give up the promised position on the Board. Vox took note, said nothing and at the moment the reading of the votes began, the name of one of its veteran deputies began to be heard: the Valencian Ignacio Gil Lázaro. Vox was voting for itself. Núñez Feijóo was perplexed in his seat. No one had informed him. He didn't know anything. In the afternoon there was tension at an emergency meeting of the party's leading group. The vote ended with 139 votes for Cuca Gamarra: the PP's 137, plus one seat from the Unión del Pueblo Navarro and the pious contribution of Coalición Canaria, which decided to align itself with the popular after its attempt to lead a third way in cooperation with the Basque Nationalist Party.
One hundred thirty-nine votes and the support of Vox on the air. This is the capital with which Núñez Feijóo will go to the King's consultation. Sánchez cannot affirm that he has 178 votes for the investiture, but this Thursday the political dynamics that could lead to that majority was launched. If the vote of the Table of Congress also served to measure forces for the investiture, the PP has a problem. The Socialists consider that their leader is the candidate with the best chances. The PP does not nominally renounce the investiture and continues to mention the King in each of its statements on the matter. "We are convinced that the King..." The PSOE considers that these insinuations constitute an attempt to pressure the head of state. This is how Sánchez expressed it on Tuesday before his deputies. Felipe VI will make a decision in the exercise of his powers, established by article 99 of the Constitution, which reads as follows: "After each renewal of the Congress of Deputies, and in other constitutional cases in which it proceeds, the King , after consultation with the representatives designated by the political groups with parliamentary representation, and through the President of Congress, will propose a candidate for the Presidency of the Government”. They come from days of intense discussion about the scope and meaning of that article.
recap. Sánchez has added a first block of 178 votes, which do not guarantee anything, but start a dynamic. PP and Vox are at war. The Congress will speak in Catalan, Basque and Galician. And Junts has crossed the border with the help of the Basque Nationalist Party. This is another important and significant fact. Basque nationalists have acted as Mugalaris. They have experience in it. A rapprochement between Junts and the PNV is taking place, after the distancing of six years ago. Sabin Etxea has been up to date with the negotiations and has suggested some moves. For example, they were in favor of Armengol's candidacy. They did not aspire to the presidency of Congress – an initiative of the president of the Canary Islands advanced to La Vanguardia – but they did aspire to have a position on the Table. They want to be more influential in Spanish politics. They don't hide it. And they don't feel well treated by the PSOE. Perhaps this is the only mistake made these days by Sánchez's team. Now comes another test.
