Junts per Catalunya sees the return of the tripartite and a change of cycle in Catalan politics in the budget pact of the Esquerra Republicana Government with the PSC, which is added to the one reached before Christmas with En Comú Podem.
"We confirm that the tripartite returns to Catalonia at the hands of Pere Aragonès. Let's not fly to 2017, we return to 2004", the president of the JxCat parliamentary group, Albert Batet, asserted this Wednesday at a press conference in Parliament. In his opinion, "there is a change in the cycle and a turning point in Catalan politics" because "Aragonès has abandoned the pro-independence majority", as added by the post-convergent leader, who recalled that the Republican was sworn in as president thanks to the votes of Junts and the CUP and that, instead, now agrees on its project of accounts for 2023 with the socialists and the commons.
Batet has also reproached the Republicans that "a new phase of confrontation with the State had to begin" in this legislature", and, nevertheless, according to their assessment, "a phase of pact with the State has begun".
Thus, the leader has regretted that his ex-partner has "preferred" to make "gestures with the autonomists" (alluding to PSC and common) rather than making them with his formation. "The ERC leadership has chosen," Batet has repeatedly pointed out, who believes that "Aragonès has changed his center of gravity." "His bet on him is the tripartite and before the tripartite the only alternative is Junts", the deputy has sentenced. However, both the Catalan Executive and the PSC have rejected that this agreement go beyond budgets and limit it to the economic sphere.
Precisely this Tuesday night the general secretary of the formation, Jordi Turull, had sent a letter to the president in which he offered him "institutional stability" and a budget pact in exchange for the recovery of the "strategic unity of the independence movement". "We are at a crossroads: direct the Government and Parliament once again towards an agreement between pro-independence forces or direct it towards the demands of autonomous parties supervised by the State. And it is at times like this that important decisions have to be made," Turull reasoned in the letter.
The Government's response has come from the Minister of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, who, as the spokeswoman did yesterday, has invited Junts to join the budget agreement in which the commons and the PSC already exist. "It would be good for the country and for the independence movement," replied Vilagrà, who recalled that the pact includes "the vast majority of agreed issues" with JxCat.
However, Batet, given the objections and rejections of the Minister Teresa Jordà and the Minister Juli Fernández to aspects such as the expansion of the El Prat airport and the Ronda del Vallès and the "ambiguities" that he appreciates in the drafting, has questioned that the agreement will be complied with in its entirety. "From experience", he has pointed out, referring to his legislature agreement with ERC.
In any case, the post-convergent formation has not yet decided whether to present an amendment to the entirety in the parliamentary process or what its final position will be. The president of the JxCat group has indicated that they still do not know the draft budget in detail to make a decision.
