PDC urges CUP to show ‘a sense of loyalty’ and renew confidence in Puigdemont

The General Coordinator of the Catalan Democratic Party (PDC), Marta Pascal, warned radical left pro-independence CUP that calling for a unilateral referendum cannot be an element of pressure to renew the confidence in the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont. At a press conference this Monday, Pascal urged CUP to show ‘a sense of state, loyalty and unity’ to complete the pro-independence process. Puigdemont will submit to vote of confidence this Wednesday, after CUP’s veto to the budget for the 2016. He considered that the Government, lead by pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ with the support of CUP didn’t have ‘guaranteed stability’ and therefore couldn’t rule. Thus, he called for the Parliament to will submit to vote of confidence this Wednesday, since he considered that after CUP’s veto to the budget for 2016 the Government didn’t have ‘guaranteed stability’ and therefore couldn’t rule. Thus, he called for the Parliament to decide whether to restore confidence in the current Government or call for new elections.

The General Coordinator of the PDC also asked the anti-capitalists to decide ‘whether they want to change the assignment of the 27-S or are willing to move forward knowing that the enemy is the state government’. ‘We ask this attitude of foresights, both not to change the mandate of the 27-S elections, a very, very clear message, as well as to understand that the budget is essential to implement the roadmap’, she added.

CUP’s bid for the unilateral referendum on independence
The unilateral referendum on independence (RUI, according to its initials in Catalan) is a traditional demand of the CUP. Those in favour of it believe that the majority of pro-independence MPs in the Parliament should call for a referendum to decide on Catalonia’s future regardless of what the Spanish government says. Furthermore, they consider that the referendum has to be included in the roadmap to independence and is the best mechanism to achieve it. There are currently different views among the pro-independence parties regarding whether the unilateral referendum is the best way forward.

Although the CUP has already announced that it will back Puigdemont, regardless of the call for a RUI during the vote, Pascal insisted on the necessity of their support. ‘We know that the state will put obstacles in our path, there is no need to make it more complicated from the inside’, she argued. According to Pascal’s view, now is the time to ‘leave aside quarrels, partisanship and mistrust’ and to embrace unity to implement the mandate of the 27-S elections.

At the beginning of September, the CUP claimed that the unilateral referendum on independence wouldn’t be a red line for the party to renew its confidence in Catalan President. According to CUP MP Anna Gabriel, ‘how to culminate Catalonia’s political process’ can be discussed after the 28th of September, the day when Puigdemont will submit himself to the vote of confidence in the Parliament. However, Gabriel insisted that the referendum would be ‘the best democratic instrument’ to move towards Catalonia’s independence. ‘Hopefully on the 28th of September a referendum to be held in May or June next year will be called’, she stated, but added that ‘if this is not the case, CUP could [still] support the vote of confidence’.

On the other hand, PSC chairman Àngel Ros warned that ‘if this vote of confidence is in line with the roadmap that the Government is following’, they won’t support it ‘because it is very different’ from their policy. Ros also took the opportunity to put forward the example of Íñigo Urkullu’s moderate nationalism in the Basque Country and urged the Catalan executive to mirror. ‘We have seen in the Basque elections approaches by the lehendakari Urkullu very different from those defending the Catalan separatists: he talks about more self-government, about prioritising job creation and the end of the crisis’ Ros stated.

ERC wants ‘certainties’ regarding the pro-independence roadmap
For its part, ERC, the left-wing pro-independence party and coalition partner of PDC in the government, hopes that the debate during the vote of confidence will provide ‘certainty’ on the roadmap, which they expect to come out ‘strengthened and improved’. Besides this, ERC also wishes that the vote will allow for have a ‘clear’ calendar for the road to independence.

The spokesman of the political party, Sergi Sabrià, insisted this Monday that the support of the CUP on the issue of confidence should also be ‘moved’ to the budget. Furthermore, Sabrià expressed without qualification ERC’s support for a unilateral independence referendum (RUI), which the party considers to be the ‘definitive’ instrument if it meets technical guarantees, is binding, and generates ‘consensus’. ‘Going for a referendum would be a good solution’, Sabrià said.