The general secretary and spokesperson of ERC, Elisenda Alamany, has defended that the current republican spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, should head the list for the general elections again, and has explained that from now on the internal process will be initiated that will culminate on October 17 with the announcement of the complete candidacy.
"He is the best asset we have for this call and today the entire internal process begins," Alamany stated at a press conference this Monday, in which she also ruled out that the party leader, Oriol Junqueras, intends to run as a candidate in the upcoming general elections on November 29 after the foreseeable application of the amnesty law.
The republican leader specified that this same Monday she spoke with Junqueras about this issue, and that he conveyed to her that what he wants to be is "president of the Govern of the Generalitat of Catalonia."
ERC will hold an executive meeting this Monday to formalize the organizing committee of the primary process, and starting this Tuesday each candidate must gather, at a minimum, 5% of endorsements.
Alamany clarified that if only one candidacy is ultimately presented, it will automatically be ratified as the head of the list, without the need for a second vote, and that on October 17 the electoral commission of ERC will have the complete list finalized, which will be submitted for validation by a national executive and, subsequently, by a Consell Nacional.
The conditions of Rufián and the preparation of the list
When asked if the conditions raised by Rufián, who requested leeway to decide the composition of the candidacy, will be respected, Alamany replied that they will address it directly with him: "When there is a candidate and they express one thing or another, I believe that the organization should also be able to have a conversation and a dialogue."
"This is part of the naturalness of any conversation with any head of the list," emphasized the number two of ERC, who also confirmed that the party will participate in these elections with its own initials.
Regarding the possibility of Rufián participating in campaign events outside of Catalonia, Alamany has maintained that his priority must be to campaign in favor of ERC, and has pointed out that "the national lefts are increasingly gaining support from the people, just as is happening with Bildu and just as is happening with BNG," before advancing that the schedule of events will be defined once the primary process is concluded.
He has also highlighted that former councilor Raül Romeva "is one of the values" that ERC has, although he remains disqualified, and has added that the party must rely on its references when asked if he could be integrated into the electoral list.
Criticism of the electoral advance and the role of the Government
Alamany has accused the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, of acting with "frivolity and electoral calculation" by advancing the general elections now, and has assured that he will use all the instruments at his disposal to campaign, referring to the approval of housing decrees in the permanent deputation of Congress.
Likewise, he has reproached the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, for not seeming "too concerned about having lost 4.7 billion euros annually" from the new financing model, and has accused him of being more focused on campaigning for the PSOE than on defending the interests of Catalonia.
When asked about the role that ERC will assume now in the Catalan legislature, once some commitments from Illa's investiture agreement will decay due to the electoral advance, he has pointed out that the republicans will continue "being a demanding and useful opposition."
The spokesperson for ERC has also lashed out at Junts, whom she has accused of spending "3 years torpedoing the legislature and any progress" and improvement for the middle and working classes, and has lamented that they have not supported the financing proposal.
"Against those who from frivolity only seek electoral calculation, but also against those who only want to defend the interests of a few in Catalonia, ERC is the ballot that guarantees that we will defend Catalonia," she concluded.