The president of the Generalitat and first secretary of the PSC, Salvador Illa, and the minister and top candidate for Barcelona in the general elections, Jordi Hereu, have issued a call to vote with the goal of reaching 75% voter turnout and the 176 seats needed for an absolute majority: "We're going to win, we're not going to tie; we're not going to stop the right, we're going to defeat it," Hereu has proclaimed.
The two socialist leaders have set out this objective at the PSC campaign rally held this Sunday in Sant Joan Despí (Barcelona), where the number 2 for Barcelona, Eva Granados, and the mayor of the municipality, the socialist Belén García, also spoke.
Illa has defended that the main strength of his formation lies in the ballots and not in the algorithm, social media or economic resources, and has emphasized that the set goal will only be reached with broad mobilization, especially in Catalonia: "Catalonia must stand up, as one man and one woman."
Hereu has directed part of his address to the President of the Government and candidate for re-election, Pedro Sánchez, and has assured that from the Baix Llobregat and from Catalonia "exceeding the results and the objectives" set by the PSOE leader is a priority for Catalan socialism.
"I ask you for an effort at mobilization like never before," he urged the party faithful, insisting that never before had so many things been at stake at the same time. He appealed to unionists, progressives and Catalanists, as well as to those who identify with European humanism and Christian humanism, so that no socialist voter stays home on the day of the polls.
The attacks on Pedro and "Bego"
Illa has again demanded that right-wing parties run a campaign based on respect, and has questioned the treatment given to Sánchez and his wife, Begoña Gómez, by considering that "red lines" are being crossed.
He explained that, in response to a request from a neighbor from Sant Andreu de la Barca (Barcelona), he sent greetings "to Pedro and to 'Bego" and has pointed out that citizens address them with closeness precisely because of the right's attacks, which, in his view, cannot tolerate that the president and his circle align themselves with "ordinary people."
Feijóo's message to Catalonia
The leader of the PSC has also alluded to the PP candidate, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and his proposal to audit the Administration: "Why do you have to audit hospitals and schools, Alberto, if we already know that when you audit, it’s to cut back."
In relation to the message that Feijóo sent this Sunday to the Catalans, committing to increase investment in infrastructure, Illa has questioned how he plans to do it if, at the same time, one of his main banners is to reduce taxes: "How do you balance the numbers? It’s just that 2 and 2 are four everywhere!"
Hereu lays claim to the Llei de Barris
Hereu has highlighted the housing policies driven by the socialists and their approach to strengthening neighborhoods, exemplified in the Llei de Barris, which the Generalitat has recovered from the Pasqual Maragall and José Montilla era and which now is once again active with Illa at the helm.
"What a coincidence! When we govern there is the Llei de Barris, and when they govern, either the right or the independentists, the Llei de Barris ends," he said, contrasting management models.
Granados: the "sacrifice" for Feijóo
Granados, Secretary of State for Cooperation, has defended that Sánchez’s political project is a benchmark for many countries and has predicted that this "brilliant" stage will continue: "Who is Ester Muñoz, who says 'No one is going to vote for Pedro Sánchez'? Please, we’re going to vote for Pedro Sánchez with both hands."
She has also responded to right-wing criticism of trade union organizations, assuring that the PP and Vox "don’t like workers’ rights," and she has taken aim at Feijóo for calling for sacrifices from citizens: "The only sacrifice that will happen will be the sacrifice of his own people to himself when he goes back to lose the elections."
She has likewise defended that, in the face of PP and Vox’s predictions, pensions are not going to "explode," but are guaranteed, and she has criticized their proposal to abolish the Ministry of Equality: "Women are not going to let them take away any of our rights."
Belén García: rights at stake
Mayor Belén García has asserted the transformation of municipalities governed by the socialists and has warned of the real risk of low turnout on 29N, mentioning pensions, salaries, "the right to want and to feel as each one wants" and women’s safety as issues at stake.
It has highlighted the measures of the Executive of Pedro Sánchez and has emphasized the commitment to coexistence and calm in Catalonia, which it has linked to the Amnesty Law promoted by the Government "in a brave manner".
At the event, Illa and Hereu were joined by the Generalitat councillors Esther Niubó and Núria Montserrat, various Socialist mayors from Baix Llobregat, and the former president and former minister José Montilla, among other party figures.