The former Catalan president and candidate, Carles Puigdemont, has reacted to the announcement about the possible resignation of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez by advising him to present a confidence motion if what he is doing is not "a tactical move" and "clarify all the doubts that this unforeseen movement has unleashed". In a message on X, Puigdemont says that a confidence vote would be a useful path for Sánchez if his announcement does not respond to a strategy and if "the reason really is the campaign of the Spanish right against his leadership by making use of his family." If the latter is this case, adds the president in exile, "I know perfectly well what it feels like."
"I don't know what the deep reasons are that have moved Pedro Sánchez to open a period of reflection on whether it's worthwhile continuing or not, but he often makes tactical moves that no one expects. In any case, it is an unusual decision in a political leader of his experience", commented Puigdemont in his post.
Desconec quines són les raons profundes que mouen Pedro Sánchez a obrir un període de reflexió sobre si val la pena continuar o no, però sovint acostuma a fer moviments tàctics que ningú no s'espera. En tot cas, és una decisió poc habitual en un dirigent polític de la seva…
— krls.eth / Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) April 24, 2024
Puigdemont asserts that "someone who defines himself through a book entitled Manual de resistencia ("Resistance Manual") and who is known for his capacity for resilience does not seem as though he would be too vulnerable to the criticisms he receives, however savage and dehumanizing they can be". "Spanish politics and much of the press in Madrid are a very savage reality, but anyone who gets involved already knows that," adds the exiled Catalan president.
However, Puigdemont ends his message with a warning for Catalan voters as they approach their election on May 12th: "Now more than ever we need to be firm in the face of Madrid and its endless political crises, because what is really at stake is the political future of Catalonia, not that of a party or a prime minister. Anyone who wants to turn the Catalan elections into a lifebuoy for the PSOE is greatly mistaken."
Surprise announcement
This Wednesday, Pedro Sánchez announced in a letter addressed to the Spanish people that he is considering resigning from his position due to the accusations of corruption against his wife, Begoña Gómez. The Spanish Socialist (PSOE) leader wrote a text in which he affirms that he has decided to cancel his agenda for the next few days, because he needs to "reflect" on whether he should continue at the head of the Spanish executive after a Madrid court decided to open proceedings against his partner for an alleged case of influence peddling.
"I need to stop; I urgently need to answer the question of whether it is worth it, in spite of the filth which the right and the far right convert politics into; whether it is necessary to continue at the head of the government or to give up this great honour", he wrote in a letter published on his account in social media X (formerly Twitter). In this message, he also states that he will announce his final decision next Monday, April 29th. "Despite the caricature that the right and ultra-right political and media have tried to make of me, I have never felt a bond to the position," he says in his statement, adding that he is canceling his public schedule for a few days "to reflect and decide which path to take.