Non-aligned CatComú party demand government share dialogue strategy

Anti-austerity party Catalunya en Comú has demanded that the Catalan government share the strategy they intend to pursue during the upcoming talks with the Spanish government, and that social issues, and not just the ongoing political conflict, should be addressed. 

Spokesperson for the only party non-aligned on the independence question, Joan Mena, rebuked Catalan president Quim Torra and his party a press conference on Monday morning, saying "Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) has no intention or ability to lead these talks."

Mena lamented the fact that issues such as Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter trains would not be discussed, saying "it wasn’t a contradiction" to ask for political prisoners to be released while also demanding investment for Catalonia.

We need to talk about relations between Catalonia and Spain and strive for a solution, but of course we also need to talk about day-to-day issues," he said, adding that "most people would not understand why they were not talking about Rodalies, schools or infrastructure."

Mena also reached out to JxCat’s governing partners Esquerra Republicana to "work out a joint strategy" with his own party in order to prevent "JxCat from blowing the opportunity to advance both nationally and socially."

Law reform

Meanwhile En Comú Podem’s spokesperson in the Spanish parliament, Jaume Asens, has said that he believes the jailed prison leaders may benefit from the reform of the Spanish criminal code by the end of the year.

"It could be a matter of months. There is the political will," he said in an interview with 'El Periódico' in reference to the passing of legislative reform.

Asens said that reform of the crime of sedition was the most pressing issue. "I personally think this is more urgent than other legal reforms because it has to do with the interference of the judiciary in the legislature," he argued.

En Comú Podem is an electoral coalition that includes Catalunya en Comú.