Parties focus on approach to take after election

Which strategy the pro-independence parties might adopt should they once again win a majority in the Parliament is one of the key unknowns of the election campaign. The political panorama in Catalonia has changed radically since the October 1 referendum, not least due to the imposition of direct rule from Madrid via Article 155 of the Constitution.

Whether the pro-independence bloc would now risk adopting a unilateral strategy to apply the referendum results and declare a republic is still hotly debated in political circles. Meanwhile, others argue the main priority is to return Catalonia to how it was before its self-government was suspended.

CUP: pro-independence bloc must go alone

The far-left CUP party has so far insisted on the pro-independence bloc going it alone. However, candidate Carles Riera on Tuesday took some of the pressure off the JxCat and ERC tickets, arguing that the refusal of the Spanish government to negotiate will mean a unilateral agenda becomes the only “pragmatic” option.

PPC: unilateral approach had been “impossible” all along

Meanwhile, the unionist People’s Party candidate, Xavier Garcia Albiol, on Tuesday accused dismissed Catalan president and vice president, Carles Puigdemont and Oriol Junqueras, of “deceiving” independence supporters by hiding the fact that they knew that adopting a unilateral approach had been “impossible” all along.

ERC: “obligation” of returning the country

However, the ERC party on Tuesday preferred to focus on the “obligation” of returning the country to how it was before Article 155 was triggered. The number two candidate on the ERC ticket, Marta Rovira, warned of those political forces that say “they will not respect the election result and will continue with 155.”

JxCat: and restoring the dismissed Catalan government

Puigdemont also called on the “155 coalition” -in reference to the Cs, PSC and PPC unionist parties- to respect the election results should the pro-independence parties win. The former Catalan president also stressed recovering Catalonia’s self-government and restoring the dismissed Catalan executive he once headed.

Cs: recovering business, jobs and social cohesion

Finally, the leader of the Ciutadans unionist party, Inés Arrimadas, also looked ahead to after the election. She argued yesterday that the aim should be for Catalonia to recover the business, jobs and social cohesion it has lost due to the independence process.

Socialists: willing to enforce 155 again
The main candidate for the Catalan Socialists in Tarragona, Rosa Maria Ibarra, didn’t rule out enforcing Article 155 of the Spanish constitution once again if pro-independence parties pursue a unilateral solution to the Catalan conflict after the election.

Catalonia in Common: new funding and treasury for Catalonia
Between the unionist and the pro-independence bloc, the main candidate for Catalonia in Common, Xavier Domènech, said that Catalonia will create a new treasury and funding system if the party wins the upcoming election.