Madrid. The rank and file of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) decided to support its leadership in appointing the socialist Salvador Illa as president of the Generalitat, after a referendum in which 6,349 members of the Catalan left-wing pro-independence party voted. The “pre-agreement” signed between the secessionist party and the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) plans to provide the autonomous community with an independent tax system, separate from the public treasury of the rest of the Spanish State.
The difference between those in favour and those against was minimal, but enough to endorse the strategy of the ERC leadership. Of the 6,349 votes, 3,397 were in favour, 2,847 against and there were 105 abstentions. In other words, those in favour of investing Illa represented 53 percent, while those against represented 44.8 percent.
The consultation began at ten in the morning and was carried out online, and only the 8,200 ERC members registered and up to date with their membership dues could participate. The question they answered was the following: “Do you agree that ERC should vote in favour of the investiture of the socialist candidate in exchange for fiscal sovereignty, the promotion and protection of the Catalan language, the national convention for the resolution of the political conflict and the rest of the agreed measures?”
According to the ERC leadership, the “preliminary agreement” will strengthen Catalonia’s independence aspirations by providing it with its own fiscal regime, independent of the Spanish common fund, meaning it will no longer have to participate in the policy of redistributing wealth from the richest regions to benefit the poorest.
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– 2024-08-07 19:19:32
