Esquerra, Eh Bildu and the BNG repeat alliance for the European elections. As in the 2019 elections, on June 9 the three will compete under the umbrella Ahora Repúblicas. But unlike then, the platform is expanded with Ara Més, the Balearic federation made up of Més per Mallorca, Més per Menorca and Ara Eivissa. All the parties sealed their commitment this afternoon at the headquarters of the Catalan Republicans, in Barcelona.
The left-wing sovereigntist coalition won three seats five years ago. They hope to at least equal the result, with the first place reserved for ERC, with the MEP, Diana Riba, the second for the abertzales, with Pernando Barrena, and the third for the Galician nationalists.
The inclusion of Ara Més is not without controversy. She ran in the general elections alongside Sumar, by Yolanda Díaz. The decision to form together with ERC, EH Bildu and the BNG has not pleased Sumar and Díaz has avoided referring to respect this week.
Oriol Junqueras, president of ERC; the EH Bildu candidate for the European Parliament, Pernando Barrena; the head of international relations of the national management of the BNG, Rubén Cela; and the coordinator of Ara Més, Mateu Mates, have been in charge of signing the agreement in black and white. A pact that Barrena has valued because with Ara Més the scope of the coalition “expands politically and qualitatively.” Esquerra, EH Bildu and the BNG have shown harmony and have valued their work in the European Parliament, especially with the commission to clarify espionage with Pegasus or the steps for the recognition of Catalan, Basque and Galician in the European Parliament.
Junqueras has stressed that the different territories represented by Ahora Repúblicas “have a lot at stake.” “National recognition in linguistic terms, in social policies, when defending the interests of our agricultural sector or industry,” he said as an example.
“We are proud to advance the social agenda and the rights of the people,” said Barrena, while at the same time setting out as one of the objectives of the new legislature “to confront the extreme right in its different formats.” “Voting for Now Republics is going to be a good anti-fascist voting option throughout the State,” he concluded.
For his part, Cela highlighted that the coalition was “very useful five years ago” because “great work in defense of our respective peoples” was guaranteed. Despite the diversity of each of the nations they want to represent, the Galician representative said, they share “many important political values and principles.” Cela has assumed that he will repeat his seat.
The Balearic representative wanted to clear up doubts about the intentions of the federation by joining an alliance that was ratified by the militants by 89%. “It is a step that does not go against anyone, but is a firm step for sovereignty” of the Balearic Islands, he has highlighted.
