The acting president slides this possibility after receiving ERC’s no to link investiture and budgets
The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, does not rule out calling Carles Puigdemont, former president of the Generalitat and now MEP for Together per Catalunya, within the framework of the investiture of the PSOE candidate. “We are in full negotiation, we are in full negotiation,” Pedro Sánchez insisted in an informal huddle with journalists at the reception on October 12 when he was asked if he was going to phone Carles Puigdemont. The acting head of the Executive spoke with Oriol Junqueras in these last hours to negotiate his investiture.
Journalists have asked on several occasions if this direct contact by telephone is going to take place and Sánchez has not wanted to clarify it, emphasizing that they are in the midst of negotiations and that he “meets and speaks with the parliamentary groups.” The leader of the PSOE has been voluntarily ambiguous on the matter because the negotiation is completely open.
In the talk at the Royal Palace he emphasized that what the PSOE proposes to the Catalan independence groups will be “constitutional.” and he has avoided commenting on Sumar’s initiative for amnesty. Sánchez recalled that there are at least five parliamentary groups that defend the grace measure.
After negotiating with ERC
This week, Sánchez has not hesitated to break the ice with the independence supporters in person. The president, this same Wednesday, telephoned the leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, to try to link the investiture to the Budgets. Despite this, he received a resounding no from the Republicans.
“ERC’s votes are sweated. The investiture is one party, the budgets are another party,” Gabriel Rufián stated later, after meeting with the acting head of the Executive.