The Republican Left (ERC), the Catalan pro-independence political party which has the power to make or break Pedro Sánchez's coalition proposal for a new Spanish government has stated its basic conditions for facilitating a new administration in Madrid: the creation of a negotiation table between Spanish and Catalan governments "without conditions or vetoes" on what is discussed, and with a meetings calendar and "guarantees". This is what ERC's Catalan parliamentary leader Sergi Sabrià told Catalan radio station RAC1 today, saying that the party's current position is to say 'no' to Sanchez because the starting conditions of the Spanish Socialists (PSOE) make it impossible for ERC to facilitate the deal. Sabrià added that on the Catalan side, the negotiating team has to be led by president Quim Torra "out of institutional respect."
On the other hand, after hearing media statements also made this Saturday by Socialist politician José Zaragoza, Sabrià responded that ERC seemed "further away" from giving its blessing to the investiture of Sánchez as new Spanish prime minister and criticized the fact that the Catalan Socialists are "attacking" Catalonia's current linguistic immersion policy in schools, at the same time as they appeared incapable of talking about "the political solution that Catalonia needs." The Socialists have frequently reiterated that they will not contemplate any proposal for changes that are "outside the Spanish Constitution".
Sabrià today asserted that this proposed table for negotiation on the Spain-Catalonia political conflict has to be between governments and not between the parties involved in the current coalition talks. Another of the ERC conditions is for each side to be able to put forward the initial proposal it wants and added that the Catalan demand will include an "amnesty" for the pro-independence prisoners as well as "self-determination". The ERC parliamentarian also stated that his party would demand that a talks calendar be established because the negotiation table "could not be eternalized" and that there would have to be "guarantees" on compliance with the agreements. And he added that the approval of any agreement that could arise from the negotiation would have to be voted on by Catalans.
Asked about the figure of a rapporteur or mediator which Catalan president, Quim Torra, has set as a condition for the investiture of Sánchez, Sabrià limited himself to declaring his full respect for the opinion of the president.
On whether there would be an agreement with the other main Catalan pro-independence party, JxCat, so that both parties cast the same votes in the investiture process, Sabrià responded that "it would be very good" and added that there would also be a common position with the Basque party Bildu and the Galician group BNG because, he argued, the interest goes beyond Catalonia and it was necessary to reach an agreement that not only benefits Catalonia.
Aragonés requests a political dialogue table between institutions
Meanwhile, the Catalan vice president and ERC national coordinator, Pere Aragonés, urged the PSOE to guarantee a table for political negotiation between institutions in order to obtain the necessary facilitation by his party in the debate on the investiture of Pedro Sánchez.
Aragonés said that what was necessary was to seek a political outcome, something that "will not be easy" or rapid. But nor, he added, can a dialogue "waste time", noting that ERC's votes are necessary for the PSOE - at the very least, the parliamentary arithmetic dictates that the Catalan party would have to abstain on the second investiture ballot in order for the current PSOE-Podemos coalition proposal to prosper.