Paul Auster writes in Baumgartner, his latest book, that life – and politics is part of it – is dangerous and something unforeseen can happen to us at any moment that changes everything. And he adds that this is an anguish that we should get used to, but if we are not aware of it, if we have not paid attention to the importance of chance, we are not alive at all.
One of the curious things about our time is that the last week of the electoral campaign is decisive. More and more undecided voters reach the final stretch that leads to the polls without having their vote decided and what happens in those final six days is worth its weight in gold. So, mistakes are expensive. In the last Basque elections, the mistake of Pello Otxandiano, EH Bildu candidate, who did not dare to classify ETA as a terrorist organization, took its toll on him. The same thing happened to Alberto Núñez Feijóo in the general elections, when he refused to attend the four-person debate on TVE: the right ended up represented by Santiago Abascal (Vox) and his radicalism took away votes from the PP candidate, who was seen in the Moncloa before in time.
In the Catalan elections on Sunday, this week could be crucial, especially when almost a third of voters doubt who to vote for, so what happens these days will be vital. In the YouGov survey for Ara, it is clear that the parties with the most undecided voters who could vote for them are PSC, ERC and the PP. On the other hand, the Junts electorate appears to be the most mobilized, but at the same time it is the party with the most limited capacity for growth. Almost half of those who are not sure who to vote for do not want Puigdemont as president.
According to political scientists, it is increasingly common for voters to decide their vote at the last minute. People live in the present, they only seem to care about the next moment and they find reflection less interesting than TikTok. So, although Auster wrote The Moon Palace in the last century, one of his most emphatic statements remains valid: “If you are not prepared for everything, you are not prepared for anything.” A phrase that, without a doubt, sounds like a warning.
