The pact between Junts and the left has not prospered in Ripoll. At this time, late on Friday June 16, there is no agreement that allows the formation of an alternative majority that prevents the access of the far-right and pro-independence Silvia Orriols to the mayor’s office Despite the fact that Junts, ERC and PSC were negotiating all day, no agreement has been reached, so the three left-wing parties (Republicans, Socialists and CUP) will vote for themselves during the investiture plenary session. Everything indicates that they could also have the support of Joaquim Colomer’s independents.
Catalan Alliance, the Orriols party, will automatically be able to govern as the most voted list despite not having an absolute majority (6 councilors out of the 17 that make up the consistory). Together he has 3; the PSC, 2; cup 2; CKD 3; and Colomer 1.
The final decision on the composition of the consistory remains in the hands of Junts; if he supports the left-wing bloc, he will make it easier for Chantal Pérez, head of the ERC list, to be mayor; if not, Orriols will govern as the most voted list.
At the time of negotiations, together he had established some very clear red lines. He did not want to form a municipal government with the CUP (despite the fact that the ERC and PSC had already agreed) because he considered it extremist, and he did not want the presence of Colomer either, whom Junts expelled from the party and ran for election with his own party (Som -hi Ripoll!).
“Blocking and vetoing democratic political groups is not what must be prioritized now. What the town needs the most is a strong project with common objectives and a clear roadmap for the defense of human rights, peace and coexistence in Ripoll”, they reproach Junts in a joint statement ERC, PSC and CUP.
Together for Ripoll He has not yet ruled on the situation, so it is up in the air what his position will be this Saturday at the investiture plenary session. The tripartite of ERC, PSC and CUP could still reach the necessary majority to win the mayoralty if Junts supports them, a complicated scenario taking into account the veto of the CUP.
“We maintain the proposal that we already made of a stable government between ERC, PSC and Alternativa per Ripoll-CUP, made up of 7 councilors who represent 42% of the votes, as the most appropriate formula for this new mandate”, insist the three groups in the joint statement. Junts’ alternative is either a left-wing coalition or a far-right pro-independence party.
Five days of intense negotiations
Junts, however, that day was already dragging the controversy opened by Borràs’s tweets and the rectification of the national executive asking the post-convergents to Ripoll to support the progressive pact. Some indications that were not well received by the local executive, interpreted as interference. At the last minute, Junts asked to cancel the meeting with ERC, PSC and the CUP to move it to Tuesday. But the three parties decided to go ahead and close the agreement given that the head of the Junts list, Manoli Vega, had already spoken the day after the elections to say that they would remain in opposition and that, in any case, and if they saw it valid enough, they would support an alternative government.
The following day, Tuesday, the details of the agreement with the three heads of the list were presented at a press conference, which explicitly asked Junts to support them to stop the extreme right. In the afternoon, Junts issued a statement in which he ruled it out, while denouncing that the members of the formation had felt “despreciated”.
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The party, which has governed in the last legislatures and which went from 8 councilors to 3 on 28-M, changed its position and announced that they wanted to lead an alternative government to be the second force in votes, however, without the presence of the CUP, with whom they would not have conversations. Something that upset the ERC, PSC and the CUP and that forced them to explore new scenarios and try to save as much as possible the document agreed on Monday. On Thursday they met again with Junts, but the situation was still very difficult and they began to continue talking about it this Friday. An agreement that ultimately has not been possible.
Meanwhile, the far-right winning force Catalan Alliance it has declined to open negotiations with any of the forces despite not having an absolute majority either. If this Saturday at the investiture plenary session a candidacy with a majority does not come out, Silvia Orriols will be automatically proclaimed mayor.