Mas says ERC could join the government “in the fall”

The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, said that a coalition with the left wing Esquerra Republicana (Republican Left of Catalonia, ERC) might be an option in the wake of the referendum. “If we need to do it, we’ll do it in the fall”, stated Mas in an interview with Catalan radio. A referendum on independence, that the Spanish government has refused to authorize, is planned to be held according to Catalan law and is scheduled for the 9th of November. Mas said that the Catalan government will need to show “strength” in the weeks and days before the consultation, suggesting ERC’s collaboration could be strategically important.

Mas recalled that ERC has had an offer to join the government “since day one” but has rejected it so far. “They told us clearly they didn’t want to be” a part of the government, the Catalan leader stated, adding nonetheless that in the last few months ERC’s position has been “changing”.

In fact, the leader of ERC, Oriol Junqueras, said to the CNA that he is “absolutely ready” to form a coalition with CiU to “culminate the process” towards independence. “If the main party needs concentration, let’s concentrate,” he maintained. He added, however, that ERC does not have a concrete offer from CiU to join the government, and would only be able to do it if the goals of the coalition are clearly established. “When you’re part of the government, everyone votes the same. Therefore, if CiU wants to pass something and it doesn’t get ERC’s support, it cannot go ahead anyway and pass it with the votes of PSC and PP,” he asserted.

Mas argued that the 9-N referendum is going to mark a “before and after” moment in the history of Catalonia, with long-standing political and social consequences. “Decisions will need to be taken accordingly and with an image of institutional strength and gravity”, he stated.

The possibility of a coalition between CiU and ERC, the two main parties in parliament, has been on the table since the last Catalan election, in 2012. However, a pact has never materialized because of the ideological differences between the two parties. Even so, ERC has offered parliamentary support to CiU in many issues, and the government has sought the votes of the Socialists or the People’s Party when an alliance with ERC has proved impossible –such as in the case of the ‘Barcelona World’ project, opposed by Junqueras.

Some in CiU have blamed ERC for not joining the government and forcing the party to be the only one to “blame” for the hard austerity measures that it has to implement. Junqueras has always said he is ready to “help” the government, and in January he and his party voted in favor of the 2014 Catalan budget. However, he rejected the ‘Barcelona World’ project, and Mas said he had to find other allies to promote “the economy and jobs”. “If you are not there, you cannot say that everything has to be done with you,” Mas warned ERC.