20.05.2014 - 13:48
The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) released a manifesto Monday with its position with regards to the European elections on May 25th. In a press conference at ANC headquarters, the president of the body, Carme Forcadell, and National Secretariat members Pere Pugès and Noemí Morral launched an appeal to sovereignty supporters to vote, and to vote for the parties in favor of holding the referendum on 9th November (CiU, ERC and ICV-EUiA).
Forcadell emphasized that “The 9th November referendum starts on May 25th,” and stated that, “We need representatives to explain that we’re going to exercise our right to self-determination.” “Europe is watching us,” added Forcadell, who found it “paradoxical” that the political processes under way in Scotland and Catalonia were discussed in the European candidates’ debate, while in the debate between the main Spanish candidates it was not even mentioned. “We’re campaigning for the elections,” concluded Forcadell, referring to the mobilization of the regional sections to back participation in elections where there is often a low turnout.
In relation to this, Morral said that information leaflets encouraging participation will be handed out throughout the country, and stressed the importance for the Assembly of internationalizing the process, giving as an example the campaign “The World meets Catalonia”, launched at a press conference in Girona this morning.
Pugès, for his part, explained the negotiations brokered by the Assembly in recent months to bring about, firstly, a united candidature, and secondly for parties to include the “non-negotiable” points outlined in the February Declaration in their programs “A united front in terms of programs has been totally achieved and we can be pleased with this,” concluded Pugès.
Position of the ANC National Secretariat with regard to the European elections on 25th May
The European elections are almost upon us. This time, apart from the new make-up of the European Parliament and its consequences for the construction of Europe, the results will be of great importance for the future of Catalonia.
Catalonia’s pro-European tradition is well-known. Because our people have always identified Europe with democracy and freedom. That’s why now, when they want to silence our vote and our future, we’re once more looking to Europe.
We have the chance to make our voice as strong as our desire to be a free people, and for our votes to be as numerous as our hopes and as diverse as our society:
– Let’s use our vote to tell Europe that we’re a people and we want to vote.
– Let’s use our vote for the parties in favor of the right to decide to say that we have a right to determine our collective political future freely.
– Let’s use our vote for the pro-independence coalitions (those backed by CiU and ERC) or those in favor of the right to decide (ICV-EUiA) to say that we want to become a new European state.
We are a diverse, open and inclusive people who want to decide our future democratically and peacefully. We are an ancient European people who want to regain our place among the international community. And we have decided to vote because we want to build a new state that is more fair, more social, more open and more free. By participating actively, we will ask Europe to act in line with its own values and its own declarations of democratic and social principle.
These elections represent a challenge and an opportunity for Catalonia and are important on different levels: European and Catalan, social and national.
Therefore, the Catalan people need to mobilize to bring about as high a participation as possible, so that our national self-determination will be seen and appreciated by European countries in accordance with the votes gained by candidatures in favor of the referendum and of independence.
On 25th May we have to make the ballot box overflow with a message that is socially plural but nationally clear and united: we’re going to vote for our freedom on November 9th!
