The vitriolic statements of Gabriel Rufián that, without any new evidence, endorsed the reports attributed to Spain's 'state sewers' regarding alleged relations between Catalan president in exile Carles Puigdemont and a number of Kremlin emissaries in the past, at a time when he was already in exile, after the dissolution of the government by Mariano Rajoy and the suppression of Catalan autonomy, are a leap into the unknown by the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) spokesperson in Congress and likely to shake the foundations of the current coalition government in Catalonia. Rufián unleashed all his verbal artillery against his party's governing partner and left president Pere Aragonès in a tight spot as Together for Catalonia (Junts), which facilitated his investiture, demands a public disavowal of Rufián and is unlikely to settle for less.
The stream of reactions from Junts, starting with that of its general secretary, Jordi Sànchez, who replied to the ERC congressional spokesperson that "it is impossible to be more small-minded", have triggered a crisis between the two parties that is no longer just about distrust but also of open disloyalty. Tuesday afternoon saw unprecedented episodes to the amusement of the far right and its friendly media, and for good reason, as Rufián had given a boost to the repressive sectors of the Spanish state, by lending credibility to their campaigns against the independence movement. In the end, without realizing it, Aragonès, who had a placid trip to Germany on his agenda on Tuesday, found himself with a crisis he was not expecting, which he will have to monitor from Stuttgart and Berlin, and which his very own spokesperson in the Congress of Deputies has opened for him.
Although there has long been a major rift between ERC and Junts in the pro-independence world, and it has led to multiple disagreements, the political prisoners and exiles have generally been protected from the daily partisan skirmish. That makes it harder to understand that Rufián could have been so aggressive without realizing it. "They are well-to-do types who wandered around Europe meeting up with the wrong people because, for a while, they thought they were James Bond. They don't represent us and that's putting it mildly," he said from the lectern of the Congress of Deputies' press room. The exile of former members of the Catalan government, and the similar status of Marta Rovira and Anna Gabriel, is a democratic anomaly. As is the existence of political prisoners who were deprived of their liberty for almost four years, until they were granted a partial pardon on June 23rd so that could leave prison. It is not that making fun of political leaders in exile and questioning their honour is inappropriate for a high-ranking pro-independence official, but rather, that it is inappropriate for any democrat, who should speak out against a situation like this.
The fact that Rufián's diatribe took place after ERC's announcement, just hours after the end of its party conference on Sunday, that he may lead the party's local body election list in the metropolitan municipality of Santa Coloma de Gramenet has, according to some ERC leaders, something to do with his response. These voices think that he is not comfortable with the announcement that has already specified that the municipal bid will not take him away from the Congress of Deputies. It is not the first time in recent times that in some sectors of the party, more in the orbit of the Catalan government, there is speculation about the need for ERC to present an alternative candidate to Rufián in the next Spanish general election scheduled for the end of 2023. The city of Santa Coloma de Gramenet is not an easy battleground for any party other than the Catalan Socialists (PSC), who have, historically, led the mayoralty with plenty of absolute majorities. Currently, led by Núria Parlón, the PSC has 17 of 27 city councillors, while Ciudadanos has four, En Comú Podem, three, and ERC the remaining three.