After the meeting of the federal committee of the PSOE on Saturday, in which the acting president of the central government and general secretary, Pedro Sánchez, defended the granting of amnesty to the leaders prosecuted or condemned by the process, yesterday it was the turn of the first secretary of the PSC, Salvador Illa, who asked for seamless support for Sánchez and confidence in the path taken.
The leader of the Catalan Socialists did the same in an extraordinary meeting of the national council in which he defended the measure as "exceptional" and "constitutional". As he pointed out, the approval will serve to overcome "resentment" and "recover full political normality in Catalonia".
So, as planned, at the party's highest governing body between congresses, it was unanimously decided to articulate, also, a consultation with the militancy in Catalonia on the government pacts with the following text: "You support the agreement to form a government with Sumar and get the support of other political formations to get the necessary majority?”. This is the same formula that the PSOE has chosen.
"Spain, embodied in its Parliament, cannot have a greater display of affection for Catalonia and the Catalans than making this bet to rebuild our coexistence and restore our affections", remarked the former Minister of Health, who expressed the "seamless" support for the PSOE leader and his approaches while he asked the PSC militancy to do the same. "Trust", demanded Illa, who defended that it is a measure of "generosity", but not "naivety".
In addition, the head of the opposition in Parliament argued that the approval of an amnesty law in the Congress of Deputies is a constitutional measure. In this sense, he pointed out that, in the preamble, the Magna Carta "sets as the supreme good the coexistence between Spaniards and between the peoples of Spain".
The leader of the Catalan Socialists, in addition, showed sympathy with those who have "doubts" and "reluctance" about the amnesty, but asked them for "trust" and appealed to the balance of measures promoted by the Government central coalition, such as the pardons to the leaders of the process or the reform of the Penal Code, which in his opinion have already produced tangible results, even if they have not solved all the problems. "They have resulted in us being much better in Catalonia today and, therefore, also in Spain, because Catalonia is part of Spain", added Illa to his teammates.
"I put as a guarantee of the confidence I appeal to the PSOE and the PSC, which have always been, are and will continue to be, the best guarantee of territorial cohesion in Spain", continued the first secretary of the Catalan Socialists.
So, as he already did at the meeting of the PSOE federal committee, in which he also took part, Illa urged yesterday to defend "without complexes" the "plural and diverse" Spain. "It is the only viable path for our country. Spain is all of us and belongs to all. We want a Spain that convinces and welcomes, not a Spain that conquers and imposes", he affirmed.
"The same values that in 2017 made us oppose unrealistic and completely unsatisfactory approaches for us, the defense of coexistence, the defense of the plurality of Catalonia, respect for the rule of law, mean that today we defend a amnesty because we don't want resentment, because we want to move forward with enthusiasm", concluded Illa.
Members of the PSC, like the PSOE and the youth of both organizations, can vote online this week and in person on Saturday, November 4.
After the pact with Sumar sealed this week, the socialist ranks trust that progress will be made in the negotiations with the rest of the parliamentary groups in the coming days in order to secure their support.
