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The president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Elisenda Paluzie, has affirmed that to achieve the independence of Catalonia it will be necessary to accept a situation of "uncertainty" and has predicted that there will be "a few weeks or a few months of a certain chaos, of conflicting authorities." The most important thing for Paluzie is that this process leads to the establishment of "the new authority [with] enough strength to be recognized." It is in precisely these aspects that she locates the Achilles heel of the 2017 independence process, centred on the 1st October referendum. According to the ANC leader, there was, in the first place, "no effort made to resist or defend" the objective, while a second factor was that "the appeal to dialogue with the Spanish state was a failure."

In an interview with the Catalan News Agency, the president of the large grassroots independence organization considered that in the days following the 2017 referendum, the parties in the Catalan government did not act strongly enough. "Somehow you have to be willing to take risks" and "have a difficult transition," said Paluzie, who sees a certain degree of conflict with the state as inevitable in the future of the independence movement.

The ANC president criticized the fact “our government never called any foreign mission ask it to give international recognition. There may not have been anyone there, but this step was not taken." Paluzie does not consider this to be the key to independence, but she does blame the Catalan government of the day for giving the state "time to activate itself" and, as a result, considers that "the opportunity was lost."

Defence of unilateralism

Paluzie was clear about her defence of the unilateral route to independence. She has previously expressed her skepticism about dialogue with the Spanish state, but today, she also warned that "if the idea that unilateralism is not possible ends up triumphing, it means it will end up impregnating the Catalan public with the idea that independence is not possible".

The ANC president ruled out demanding a new referendum and reiterated her commitment to an "effective" declaration of independence.

Appeal to the 1st October (again)

Despite criticism of the Catalan government’s action after the 1st October, the Assembly will once again mark that date and everything that surrounds it. This year, the ANC is calling a "double demonstration" this year under a single slogan - "Let's fight and win independence". The mobilization intends to celebrate Catalonia's Diada on 11th September as usual, and then to commemorate the 2017 referendum on 1st October. When it was announced, Paluzie asserted that “we are at a moment when some people want to be bury 1st October” and “there is denial that it was a mandate for independence".

According to the ANC president, the independence movement is going through a "particularly difficult" period. Paluzie believes there is a "loss of enthusiasm" among the movement. She therefore hopes that the Diada will be an “opportunity” for participants to “freely express these feelings”.

 

Main image: Elisenda Paluzie, president of the Catalan National Assembly, during an interview with the ACN / ACN