BarcelonaOriol Junqueras (Barcelona, 1969) was the most voted candidate in the first round of the ERC congress and is the favorite to be re-elected president of the party after having accumulated thirteen years in office.
— Justament el que volem és recuperar aquests consensos per poder fer coses extraordinàries com l’1 d’octubre i el 3 d’octubre. El nostre projecte és fer d’Esquerra un partit que torni a ser tan gran,tan fort i tan útil com va ser en aquell moment.
— Estem convençuts que nosaltres serem capaços entre tots de reconstruir aquest partit. Assumim aquesta responsabilitat no només com un deure, sinó amb entusiasme. La immensa majoria dels militants i de les militants treballaran amb aquesta voluntat. El que nosaltres volem és fer de Catalunya un país independent, assegurar una economia pròspera i una societat justa.
— A mi l’únic plebiscit que m’interessa és el plebiscit sobre la independència de Catalunya.
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Els seus rivals li retreuen que intentar apel·lar a tothom ha diluït alguns aspectes ideològics d’ERC.
— És evident que no apel·lem absolutament a tothom, però sí a les grans majories d’aquest país. Ningú ens convencerà que parlar de pagesos i de treballadors de la indústria, de transportistes i de botiguers sigui una cosa dolenta.
Què els semblen els cinc punts que Foc Nou posa sobre la taula?
— foc Nou el que ens demana és justament que siguem discrets amb les converses i nosaltres som respectuosos amb el que ens demanen. És evident que hi ha moltes coses que compartim. Per exemple, la voluntat d’acabar amb les estructures B. Segur que compartim la voluntat que no hi hagi qui prengui decisions que ens fan passar vergonya amb cartells que mai no s’haurien d’haver fet. També compartim que la nostra organització només ha d’arribar a pactes que siguin útils per a Catalunya i, per tant, no ha d’arribar a cap nou acord amb els que no compleixen els acords que ja s’han tancat. ERC no ha d’arribar a nous acords amb el Partit Socialista fins que no compleixi tots els acords que ja ha firmat.
La primera negociació amb el Partit Socialista seran els pressupostos, a Catalunya i a Madrid.
— Els pressupostos només seran útils si incorporen el compliment de tots els acords que ja tenim. Només seran útils si incorporen coses com,per exemple,la condonació del FLA que ja es va pactar i si es compleix l’acord de finançament. Mentre no es compleixi això, els pressupostos que podrà presentar seran uns pressupostos que no seran tan bons com els que Catalunya necessita.
També faran una consulta per saber si es vol continuar donant suport a Salvador Illa?
— Nosaltres no som els que vam tenir pressa [per investir Illa]. And we’re not even the ones who want to wait a year or a year and a half to make decisions. Let’s make decisions now. we demand that the Socialist Party fulfills its commitments now, not in a year and a half.And until he fulfills them, he will not have our support.
— If one day they adapt and this allows us to reach a new agreement of any kind, we will always be available to consult the militancy. We always have. The first time there was a primary at the ERC was right when we got there [Joan Ridao i Alfred Bosch es van disputar ser cap de llista a Madrid].
— I didn’t say that. What I’m saying is that it seemed to me that there were many reasons to vote no; most notable was that he had little confidence that the Socialist Party would comply. And I also added that, if it turns out yes, we will work to force them to comply. And that’s what we’ll do. I think my position is very clear and the ERC militants understand it perfectly.
— I’m glad that there are expectations about many things, but the really significant ones are those of the future. Mirrors are a very useful tool for driving, but when you want to move forward it is more useful to have the high beams on and look forward than to look in the rearview mirror.
— The Guarantees Commission deserves all our support and consideration.But it is an institution that, unfortunately, cannot carry out research, because it is forbidden to do so. The investigation must be carried out by another body, which is responsible for compliance [format únicament per Xavier Mombiela]linked to Nova Esquerra. We want a strengthened Guarantees Commission and we want to reform the statutes in three months to do so. And, at the same time, the Guarantee Commission can only investigate people who are currently members of the ERC. that’s why we need another tool that allows us to know what happened outside and around the ERC, what happened in the cases of people who were from the ERC and who are no longer ERC. And thus the two tools are clearly complementary. And it is clear that this can also be supplemented with an audit.
Militants and non-militants may refuse to collaborate with this body. How effective can it be?
— We want to go a little further, not to hurt anyone, but to do good for everyone. not to demand what we cannot demand, but to clarify the facts, to know the truth. we have every right to know the truth. Why shouldn’t we certainly know the truth? We don’t deserve to have experienced this shame and we don’t want to experience it again.
How can you guarantee that there will no longer be a second-class structure if you say that you knew nothing about it when you were president of the party?
— Precisely because it happened against the will of the vast majority of us, we will have to establish mechanisms to ensure that it cannot happen again. The work carried out by the Guarantee Commission which highlights the tools it needs to investigate this type of thing is very important, but I think it is also very important that people of the political, ethical and personal relevance and prestige of joan Tardà and Carles Now let’s help us establish thes mechanisms.
After what they said during the election campaign, will they be able to continue speaking calmly?
– Certainly. I have friends everywhere, luckily. The vast majority of ERC militants have friends from all over, inside and outside the party. I think we must work to ensure that these relationships of friendship and trust are not damaged.
Why do you think some voices have questioned his continuity in the ERC if he loses?
— Maybe because there are other people from other candidacies who have unsubscribed from the ERC several times and then re-registered several times, and perhaps they project what some of them have done towards us; but we have never done this and therefore we certainly won’t do it.
— Well, I celebrate it a lot. I am aware that many of the people applying for Nova Esquerra have not only been active in the ERC for many, many years, but have made many decisions. I celebrate it and I also celebrate the fact that we have the opportunity to renew ourselves in many aspects, and we are convinced that we will ensure the best possible balance between continuity and renewal.
— They have all my consideration, all my respect and my love. They are people who have many positive experiences and also in internal disputes, in internal struggles, as many of them have been protagonists of many throughout history and, in this sense, they certainly know more than us.
— each area must make its own decisions.The decision whether to govern in Manresa with the Socialist Party is made by the people of Manresa.
— The budgets of the Generalitat concern the whole country and, therefore, it is the militancy as a whole that must decide, and we believe that they should not be negotiated until the already existing pacts are completed. In the municipal territories, the belonging of each place will have to be decided.
— I will work so that, if there is an agreement, people can socialize, get to know each other, value themselves and vote. And the Barcelona militancy will approve it or not depending on the goodness or badness of this agreement.
— It does not matter whether the agreements were signed by Mr. Salvador Illa or by Mr. Pedro Sánchez: they must be respected. For what strange reason should we think that if they don’t adapt other agreements will be necessary? I understand that there may be someone who has become accustomed, over time, to signing agreements repeatedly without having obtained compliance with previous agreements. This must end with us. Salvador Illa went to Madrid [per commemorar la Constitució]but he has a lot of work in Catalonia. He is president of the Generalitat, which has existed for many centuries before the Spanish Constitution existed.
— Yes, on this vote that you asked me to clarify and which today I clarified for the umpteenth time.
Have you recently spoken to Marta rovira, who supports your rival?
Interview by Aleix Moldes with Oriol Junqueras
How will you ensure that all members are actively engaged and informed about the association’s principles and values?
O investigate effectively is essential in this regard. We aim to create a obvious organization that prioritizes accountability and adherence to our principles. This includes reforming our internal processes and ensuring that our members are engaged and informed, allowing us to prevent any future missteps.
What are your plans for improving the party’s transparency and trust among the members?
— Transparency is crucial.We need to ensure that we communicate clearly with our militants about decisions and processes.Regular updates, open discussions, and forums where members can voice their opinions will be part of our strategy. Moreover, we want to implement an independent oversight mechanism that can monitor and report on internal procedures, thus fostering trust and confidence among all members.
Considering the recent controversies, how do you plan to unite the party moving forward?
— Unity is essential for our progress. We need to focus on our common objectives and values, emphasizing collaboration over division. Engaging all factions within the party in constructive dialogues will be key. We want every member to feel valued and heard. Thus, we will prioritize building bridges and forming alliances within the party to strengthen our collective vision for Catalonia.