Artur Mas: “Freedom is beyond ideologies and parties”

Barcelona (CNA).- Current President Artur Mas assured during his  speech before Parliament this Monday that “freedom is beyond ideologies and parties” and emphasised that “nobody is left out”, clearly referring to radical left CUP, who have repeatedly insisted that they won’t instate him as President nor any other candidate from liberal party CDC. “We must orientate the sails in the correct direction in order to use the wind that we received from the 27-S elections” pointed out Mas, “we can’t be stuck in the harbour, not after receiving the support to start the journey”. So far, the only candidate to lead the new government is Artur Mas, the current President and number four in winning cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’. However, without the support of CUP’s 10 MPs, he won’t obtain enough votes to be re-elected, at least not in the first round.

Freedom is beyond ideologies and parties

During his speech, Mas highlighted the “democratic guarantee”of cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’, which he described as “solid, firm and very clear”and “reinforced”after being “the second force in 96% of villages in Catalonia”. “For the first time there is a clear pro-independence majority in the Parliament” he stated and assured that “freedom is beyond ideologies and parties”, referring to radical left CUP, which is calling for a candidate who isn’t affiliated to liberal party CDC to run for President. “Nobody is left out” he emphasised. 

Mas used a naval metaphor to refer to CUP, his partner in the roadmap towards independence. “If there is no confluence between the sail and the rudder we could sink. The navigation depends on us”. “We must orientate the sails in the correct direction in order to use the wind that we received from the 27-S elections. It won’t be easy but we can’t be stuck in the harbour, not after receiving the support to start the journey”.

A new and fairer Catalonia

Regarding the key points of the new independent Catalan State, Mas focused on the social field and named the priorities as follows: “make a fairer state out of Catalonia, more modern, healthier, with more employment and more transparency”. “This term of office has to transit from autonomy to state. Less autonomy and more state every day” pointed Mas.

“The Spanish State is politically incapable of accepting this challenge”

The current President also commented on Spain’s attitude towards Catalonia’s push for independence. “Pseudo-democracies use the public prosecutor’s office and the police” and “keep turning their back on dialogue and negotiation”. Mas also lamented that Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, refused to meet with Catalan representatives to discuss the pro-independence declaration approved this Monday. 

Mas also called the other groups in the Parliament to read the 27-S elections results “correctly”. He admitted that pro-independence forces didn’t obtain more than 50% of the votes although the number of MPs who support independence and Catalonia’s right to decide its political future is “clearly majoritarian”. “If the aim is to count the votes, there is only one way to do it: holding a referendum, a pure and real one, as happened in Quebec and Scotland, and accept its result” he stated “but how could this be possible if neither the Catalan People’s Party, the Catalan Socialist Party,, nor Ciutadans are willing to answer the phone, read their emails or even sit together at a table?” he rhetorically asked. “How can we expect that from a State which summonses people for celebrating a symbolic vote a year ago?” he stated, referring to the 9-N consultation. “The Spanish State is politically incapable of accepting the challenge that an important part of Catalan society is bringing up”.

CUP requires more self-criticism from Mas

Radical left CUP admitted to finding “positive elements” in Mas’ speech before the Parliament but criticised the “flagrant absence” of any reference to the corruption cases, in which Mas’ party, liberal CDC, has been involved and on account of which some of its members have been recently summonsed. CUP representative Albert Botran considered Mas’ speech “insufficient” and admitted to expecting “explicit self-criticism” regarding his government’s role in the social cuts. 

Ciutadans: The 27-S mandate doesn’t exist

“In one hour and a half, Mas didn’t even mention the word corruption” stated Ciutadans’ spokesperson in the Parliament, Carlos Carrizosa, “as though he didn’t know anything about the 3% corruption scandal, as though he wasn’t present during Jordi Pujol’s government”. Carrizosa considered Mas to have “played the victim role once again” and remarked that he is “an exhausted politician”. Carrizosa also assured that the democratic mandate which Mas claims to follow “doesn’t exist” as pro-independence forces lost their plebiscite.

PPC: Mas is an agonising and desperate candidate

PPC spokesperson in the Parliament Enric Millo assured that Mas is “an agonising and desperate candidate” who points to “external enemies rather than accepting his own incapability to solve Catalonia’s problems”. He also accused Mas of “begging to the CUP” to the point of “looking like a CUP affiliate”.

PSC: Mas is the biggest problem for Catalonia’s future

“The majority doesn’t support Catalonia’s independence” stated PSC spokesperson in the Parliament, Eva Granados. “Mas is the biggest problem for Catalonia’s future” as he “is dragging the institutions and the citizens to no-one knows where” she stated. Granados described Mas as a “defeated and failure of a politician” and attributed him “zero reliability” in terms of transparency as his party’s headquarters “are seized”.

‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot’: Mas’ speech was cynical

‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot’ spokesperson in the Parliament, Joan Coscubiela, criticised Mas’ speech and described it as “deeply cynical”. “It was an intervention absolutely lacking in any moral authority” he stated and commented that he considered it “unbelievable” that Mas proposed himself as a leader in favour of transparency. “He defined a country which doesn’t exist” he concluded.