Former Socialist minister shows support for unionist Ciutadans

The unionist Catalan-born Ciutadans party is preparing a potential upcoming Spanish election by launching a platform and trying to gather the support of several politicians formerly in other parties.

Ciutadans has been for months backed by the former French Socialist prime minister Manuel Valls, who was born in Barcelona from a Catalan father.

On Saturday, in the event held in Madrid they also showed another relevant support: Celestino Corbacho, a former Socialist Spanish minister who broke up with his party in January 2018.

The move by Corbacho, who is Catalan, was much expected, but he had never joined any Ciutadans event.

Celestino Corbacho was the Spanish labor minister from 2008 to 2010 and spent 14 years as mayor of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, next to Barcelona, the second most populated town in Catalonia.

"Coup d'etat" in Catalonia

During the event, Ciutadans president, Albert Rivera, said that last October a "coup d'etat" in Catalonia was avoided. "And we made it together, we implemented the Constitution, we took to the streets, our head of state intervened, and we defended democracy," he said.

Rivera talked about the 'spirit of October 8,' referring to the biggest unionist demonstration during the whole peak tension between Catalonia and Spain held in Barcelona almost a year ago.