Self-determination process needs "enthusiasm"

Barcelona (ACN).- The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, warned on Monday that the self-determination process needs "enthusiasm", defining his proposal of a shared list with civil society organisations as a "spark" to retrieve it. In an interview with TV3, the President called for "personal and corporate agendas" not to overcome the country's interests, announcing that if grassroots organisations refuse his proposal, he will run in the next elections with his party, in a "CDC or a CDC enlarged" electoral list. Mas - who met on Monday with the 3 grassroots organisations that organised the pro-independence demonstrations of 2012, 2013 and 2014 - pointed out that this is his last attempt, "after the one with the political parties failed".

According to many, Mas said, the self-determination process "needs enthusiasm, resolution and unity". Therefore, the President explained, he proposed a shared list with civil society for the next elections, putting grassroots organisations at the centre of the process, after having unsuccessfully tried last November with the political parties. "I do not speak to political elites, but to ordinary people, and most of them want the largest possible unity," he argued.

He could top the shared electoral list, be part of it or not be present at all, Mas said

During the interview with TV3, Mas stressed that he has always tried to respond to civil society's requests since the self-determination process began with the first demonstration in 2012. "I tried to live up to the situation and I think I did my best, but I can only bring my individual contribution. At this particular moment in time, personal and corporate agendas cannot overcome the country's priorities as this is a decisive moment for Catalonia", he said.

The President stated he is willing to do everything: top the shared electoral list, form part of it, or even not participate, as he believes he should "contribute to finding a solution and not constitute a problem". Still, considering how the political process has gone so far, he thinks he should have "a role to play", but this will not be "an essential condition, as the priority is to achieve the largest possible unity".

Grassroots organisations will issue their final decision on Mas' proposal within days

Grassroots organisations will now decide through an internal process, notifying the President of their decision within days. Muriel Casals, the President of Òmnium Cultural (one of the 3 organisations Mas met with, together with the Catalan National Assembly and the Association of Municipalities for Independence) assured that all of them will study the Catalan President's proposal. She denied that the idea of a shared electoral list could generate internal divisions. "The beauty of the process", she said, "lies with the fact of bringing together different political sensitivities which consider Catalonia's independence as a shared objective". "We will not define a single route, we will study all possible ways and try to converge", she underlined.

If his proposal is rejected, Mas will run with his party in the next elections

Mas has already said that if the grassroots organisations eventually reject his proposal, he will go ahead and run in the next elections with his party, CDC, or "a CDC enlarged electoral list". "If this attempt to form a shared list does not succeed, I will do something different", he assured, trying to include as many people as possible. According to him, the invite could be addressed also to those within the Christian-Democrat UDC who rejected the official line of the party and favour independence.

In any case, he underlines, as the 27-S election necessitates that a winner emerge "with sufficient clarity and strength", the self-determination process needs definite leadership, although with the help of other political parties. Finally, asked about his reasons for not introducing some Ministers from ERC in the recently reshuffled Catalan Cabinet, he said that this would have given a sign of what the future executive would look like without passing through the polls, also recalling that this political party rejected his proposal for a shared list last November.

Indeed, at the end of 2014, Mas already proposed running in a shared electoral list, but back then the idea was to mix politicians with prestigious professionals and members of the civil society.