The first secretary of the PSC, Salvador Illa, will ask the president of the Parliament, Josep Rull, for “more time” to be able to articulate a “progressive majority” with ERC and Comuns that allows his investiture as the next president of the Generalitat.
This is what he has advanced in statements to Cadena SER, before he meets with Rull this Wednesday, within the framework of the Parliament's president's round of consultations with parliamentary leaders to outline the investiture.
The first investiture debate is scheduled for June 25, but if Rull does not find any candidate with options to be invested, he can dispense with this specific plenary session and, instead, also activate the two-month countdown – which would end around on August 25 – to invest a new president or, if that is not possible, repeat the Catalan elections in October.
Illa has advanced what message she will convey to Rull in their meeting on Wednesday: “I am going to tell him that I am going to attend the investiture, but that I need more time to put together the only way that, in my opinion, can make it viable.” this legislature, which is a progressive majority, made up of PSC, ERC and Comuns”.
These three formations add up, as he recalled, “68 of the 135 seats” in the Parliament, which would mean he would reach the absolute majority he needs to be sworn in.
However, ERC's claim for “singular financing” for Catalonia, which leaves the common regime, will force negotiations to be prolonged, making an investiture for June 25 unfeasible.
“I'm not going to rush anyone, I'm going to be very respectful,” Illa assured when referring to the negotiating pace he plans to achieve.
Regarding financing, he has reiterated his commitment to “explore” the potential offered by the Statute, which already provides for the creation of a Generalitat-State tax consortium to collect all taxes, although he has pointed out that what worries him most is “what “they dedicate the resources”, and not who controls the collection.
Illa is willing to agree to a financing proposal that “takes into account the singularities of Catalonia” and that is a “fair” model, without implying any “privilege.”
For this reason, he has asked all political groups in Catalonia and Spain to “have a higher vision” when addressing the debate on regional financing.
“Our democracy has the maturity to address this debate,” said Illa, who hopes to reach an agreement with ERC.
“My sense of smell tells me that there will be no electoral repetition,” said the leader of the PSC, who will do “everything possible” to avoid new elections in October, although he has acknowledged that he has his “limits”: “I am not going to do nothing that destabilizes,” he said.