CUP rejects Mas’ investiture

Barcelona (CNA).- Radical left pro-independence CUP has ultimately decided to reject current Catalan President Artur Mas’ candidature and won’t facilitate his investiture. “We are not satisfied with this result” admitted CUP MP Gabriela Serra and insisted that “CUP has always supported Catalonia’s independence”. “The process doesn’t finish today. It will continue with or without Mas’ investiture” stated Serra “we have made a move and now we will wait for the others to make a move as well” she stated, referring to pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’. Although she suggested that there is still time to continue negotiating, ‘Junts Pel Sí’ have repeatedly insisted that Mas is their only candidate. On Sunday representatives from CUP’s local and territorial divisions and the 11 from the different organisations related to the party gathered together to decide the next steps on the pro-independence roadmap after CUP’s General Assembly ended in a tie.

 

The veto against Artur Mas obtained 38 votes in favour, 22 against and 6 abstentions. “If Mas said that he wouldn’t be an obstacle now is the time to prove it” stated CUP MP Sergi Saladié. After CUP’s Political Board and Parliamentary Action Group’s meeting, the radical left assured that it was time for ‘Junts Pel Sí’ to make a move and avoid calling for new elections. In the event that new elections would be called in March, “it would be the consequence of ‘Junts Pel Sí’s stagnation”. 

“The process is not over. It will continue with or without Mas’ investiture” stated Serra and noted that the scenario of whether Mas or March (the month when the new elections would take place) was not CUP’s. “We have done everything we could to avoid voting what we have finally voted” she stated “we have made a move and now we will wait for the others to make a move as well”. 

Mas on new elections: “We will see”

Current Catalan President Artur Mas assured that he is “absolutely calm” and “willing to fight, go ahead and face those who make things excessively difficult” both “in Madrid and here”. When asked about possible new elections, Mas just said “we will see” and avoided  any further talk on this issue.

Cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ assured that they will keep their support for Mas’ candidacy and won’t propose any alternative candidate.

Pro-independence associations express their disappointment

The Catalan National Assembly (ANC), the civil society organisation responsible for the massive rallies supporting Catalonia’s independence expressed their disappointment after CUP’s ‘no’ to Artur Mas. “To those who trusted the Catalan National Assembly, voted for any of the pro-independence forces and now feel deceived, my apologies”, stated ANC’s President, Jordi Sànchez. “Now it is time to rebuild the citizens’ will and build a new project of unity” he assured. Sànchez admitted that he would be “enormously satisfied” if ‘Junts Pel Sí’ would finally propose an alternative candidate to Artur Mas as any chance of avoiding the new elections “must be taken into account”. However, he admitted that this is not very likely to happen as both CUP and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s positions “are very closed”.

Òmnium Cultural, a non-profit association promoting Catalan culture, also expressed its opinion regarding CUP’s decision. Its President, Jordi Cuixart urged the politicians to be “generous” and have “sense of State” so that the “hundreds of Catalans whom have mobilised in the last five years” won’t be deceived. Cuixart called for “using up all the legal deadlines” to avoid calling for new elections.