The leader of the Catalan Socialists has extended his hand to the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, to approve the 2023 budgets. "I don't know if it's what suits my party, but it's good for Catalonia," said Illa to explain this position .
Aragonès has to find allies to approve next year's budgets because the votes of his partner in the Government, Junts, are insufficient. He would need to re-add the majority of the investiture, with the CUP, or else have the Commons who gave their votes to approve the 2022 budgets.
Illa recalled that Aragonès has "the majority of the investiture broken" and in this scenario she wondered if the president of the Generalitat "is willing to put the interests of Catalonia first".
Shortly after, the proposal of the socialist leader received a response from the Minister of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, who stated that the intention of the executive is to reach an understanding with the CUP. “We have a government agreement and some priority partners. We have always said that we want to work with the CUP in many aspects, also in the budgets”. Vilagrà has added that the other possible ally to approve the budgets could be the Commons, before the PSC.
Illa's offer is related to the desire of the Socialists to have the support of the ERC in the Congress of Deputies to approve the General State Budgets.
In another order of things, Illa has also referred to the interim situation that the Parliament of Catalonia is currently experiencing where its president has been suspended in her rights and duties but has not resigned from the position, the second institutional figure of Catalonia.
Laura Borràs, accused of embezzlement, was suspended on July 28 by the Parliamentary table with the votes in favor of the representatives of the PSC, ERC and the CUP. Until now, her party, Junts, has maintained her support, who is also the president of the party.
Illa has demanded that this situation be resolved before September 15 and has assured that there are legal mechanisms for it.
Vilagrà, in line with what the ERC and the President of the Generalitat himself have been upholding since the beginning of this institutional crisis, has once again called on Junts to resolve this situation as soon as possible.
Vilagrà recalled that according to the government pact signed between Junts and ERC, it corresponds to the first party to occupy the presidency of the Parliament and consequently it must be this formation that appoints Borràs' replacement.
