They had not spoken since May 21, 2019. Oriol Junqueras sought a greeting from Pedro Sánchez, sitting in his seat, and told him: “We have to talk.” With that photo, the President of the Government recognized him as an interlocutor before the ERC leader returned to prison. The two then exchanged some messages, but Sánchez always preferred to speak with the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, due to his institutional position and a certain affinity of characters. Aragonès is direct and attached to the concrete. Like Sanchez. Although the first is risk averse and the second thrives on challenges. Junqueras' character is more sophisticated, less compatible with that of the socialist, although Wednesday's 38-minute conversation was pleasant, between signs of mutual understanding and some jokes.
For ERC, the call is a recognition of its relevance as a parliamentary ally when all the spotlights shine on Junts. But to reach this relaxed talk, five years of collaboration have passed, in which ERC has veered from defending the unilateral path to evident pragmatism. Junts has not made that journey, precisely because the story of the “president in exile” prevents it. What's more, Carles Puigdemont has criticized the candor of ERC.
With the key to the governability of Spain in hand, the former president set out his conditions on September 5 in a speech that the Moncloa wanted to view with optimism, since he did not demand an independence referendum to give the investiture. The socialists believed they saw there the starting point for negotiation. On the other hand, for Puigdemont, this is a guide that must be followed without skipping any steps until the agreement. And this is what the PSOE negotiators are verifying.
For this reason, Junts spokesperson Míriam Nogueras delivered that text to Sánchez on Friday. Let us remember Puigdemont's demands: for the investiture he demands recognition of him as an interlocutor, amnesty and the mechanism for verifying agreements. The first two are advancing, the third is a stumbling block, since Puigdemont asks for an international mediator and the PSOE offers a monitoring commission. And what are the agreements to verify that they are fulfilled during the legislature?
Puigdemont refers to two folders: a material one (investments, financing, skills...) and, the most important, the recognition of the political conflict and the commitment to resolve it with an "agreed referendum." ERC already asked for something similar at the time and it was resolved: the existence of the conflict was admitted and if an agreed solution was reached, it would be voted on by the Catalans. For the socialists, this was nothing more than a possible statutory reform. But Puigdemont goes further. To begin with, he claims to start from the admission that the Statute ruling, the “savage application of article 155” or the “criminalization” of 1-O was an error. What's more, he asks that the “legitimacy of 1-O” and the commitment to work on an agreed referendum to replace it be recognized.
Hence the negotiation between the PSOE and Junts has become a Scottish shower. The Spanish political class is scandalized by the amnesty, but everything else is just what Puigdemont needs to justify the agreement to his people. For him, the amnesty is not a “historical pact,” which is what he has promised.
That no one opens their mouth now in Junts does not mean that internal tensions have disappeared. The pragmatists yearn for the pact to recover normality, but the “Octobers”, who maintain that independence was already won on October 1 and all that remains is to apply it, are waiting until they know where Puigdemont goes. These days a platform under the name Junts per Junts runs through mobile messaging channels that encourages people to join. Without apparent leadership, it is driven by Laura Borràs, president of the party, marginalized from the negotiation by Puigdemont. Its objective is to have a database to know its internal strength. Meanwhile, Junts remains expectant to see if their leader is able to avoid the feared transition from hero to traitor.
