oriol junqueras

The radical left CUP has decided to table an amendment to the entire draft budget that the Catalan Vice President and Minister of Economy, Oriol Junqueras, presented on Tuesday. Junqueras, however, said there is still time for “dialogue and negotiations” and told journalists that he hopes the new budget will be passed in Parliament and that there will be no need to extend the last one. The CUP, which has an agreement of parliamentary stability with Junts pel Sí, justified its veto on the budget saying that the proposal doesn’t reverse “privatisations and cuts” nor show “a clear and frontal disobedience” to the Spanish Government and the financial markets.

The members of the new Catalan executive took office this Thursday, more than three months after the 27th of September Catalan Elections resulted in the victory of pro-independence forces. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, called them to be “aware” of the citizens’ assignment “without renouncing anything”. ERC’s leader Oriol Junqueras has been designed to assume the Vice presidency and led the Department of Economy and Tax Office, one of the key areas of the new executive. Another novelty is the creation of the department for Foreign Affairs, which will be led by former MEP and ‘Junts Pel Sí’s top member, Raül Romeva.

“Catalonia is not divided and it won’t be”, said Catalan President Artur Mas during the first big event of the cross-party coalition ‘Junts pel Sí’ (Together for Yes), which brings together members of the civil society and politicians from both right and left that favour independence. In a rally attended by 40,000 people, Mas defended that ‘Junts pel Sí’ is an example of the determination of the Catalan people, which have put ideological differences aside to achieve independence from Spain. The event in Barcelona was the official presentation of the candidates of the ‘Junts pel Sí’ ticket. The cross-party coalition led by former Green MEP Raül Romeva has already achieved support from up to 57.000 citizens that have signed up as symbolic “candidates” for the 27-S election. The poll is considered by many as a ‘de facto’ referendum on independence.