Former minister Salvador Illa, 57, will once again lead the Socialists' candidacy in the Catalan elections with the aim of being the party with the most votes and ensuring that there is no sum of pro-independence formations that prevent him from governing. The defense of public services and criticism of the Government's management of the last 10 years in Catalonia are his main complaints once the process stage has
passed
. To do this, he calls for sending both ERC and Junts to the opposition.
Ask.
He is a candidate again after a pact between the independentists left him out of the Government in 2021. What makes you think that this time he will get the presidency?
Answer.
I am very cautious with surveys. I have confidence in the citizens of Catalonia and I believe that what they want is for us to open a new stage to unite and serve the population. There are things that can unite us a lot, such as improving public services, which will be my first objective.
Q.
Everything indicates that the pacts will be necessary, but ERC already says that it will not make you president and the threat of a blockade looms. What scenario are we going to?
A.
What we have seen in Catalan politics in recent years tells us that we must have courage to reach agreements. The first thing that I think we have to subscribe to is all the forces in Catalonia is to veto the passage of the extreme right. Neither Vox nor Orriols [the far-right pro-independence candidate of Aliança Catalana]. And I would like Junts and ERC to make it clear that they veto the passage of the hate speech that those two parties represent.
"The only guarantor that in Catalonia there is no space for hate speech is me."
Q.
Do you think Junts may be tempted to ally with the pro-independence extreme right?
A.
They should clear up this doubt. In this sense, the only president of Catalonia who guarantees that there will be no space for hate speech, neither for Vox nor for Orriols, is me.
Q.
Speaking of agreements, will you have a free hand to, if necessary, agree with whoever suits you?
A.
We have always had them. But if you are referring to whether we will have the freedom to formalize those agreements that we think are best for Catalonia, then logically, yes. I commit that, if I am president, the legislature will last four years.
Q.
And will you also have these free hands, although eventually your pacts may cause problems for the stability of the central government? ERC and Junts are now necessary partners for Pedro Sánchez…
A.
Each institutional area is each institutional area. I do not have any doubt. They will respect Catalonia and what the Catalan citizens choose through their votes. Mixing institutional spheres has never been a good recipe.
Q.
In other words, you have the guarantee from Pedro Sánchez that he will respect your decisions.
A.
I have spoken and speak fluently with the President of the Government and I think the political and personal harmony we have is known. And I also think that he is known to everyone that the decisions that affect Catalan politics are made by the PSC.
If anyone is thinking about stopping supporting the current government formula, it would be good for them to say so and explain what alternative they see for Catalonia.”
Q.
But in the end they are all communicating vessels... Pere Aragonès called early elections and the same afternoon the central government announced that it would not prepare this year's Budget.
A.
If someone is thinking about stopping supporting the current government formula, it would be good for them to say so and explain what alternative they see for Catalonia. Now there is a Government that recognizes the plurality of Spain and that looks to the future of Catalonia with an amnesty law that is a forgiveness, a forgiveness that is not a forgetfulness. Is there any alternative to this? A permanent 155? The outlawing of all politicians who have a project different from the one defended by the PP?
“The decisions that affect Catalan politics are made by the PSC”
Q.
You have described the situation in Catalonia as that of a community without water due to drought, in darkness due to lack of renewable energy and with children who do not know how to read, write or add. Isn't that an absolute exaggeration?
A.
It was an expression, let's say very emphatic, but it is not far from reality. Talking to all sectors of Catalonia, it is confirmed that the necessary investments against the drought have not been made. Businessmen confirm that they need renewable energy for their activity and they do not have it, and if they talk to parents of students and educators, they confirm that we are behind Spain in education. I'm not saying it, the PISA results say it. Catalonia has a sufficient level to be a leader in all these issues, not to be in the queue.
Salvador Illa, PSC candidate for the 12-M elections. massimiliano minocri
Q.
Do you see a risk of blockade after 12-M and that Catalonia will have to repeat the elections?
A.
I can't tell you more than that the PSC is not going to be the trigger for any electoral repetition. Once the citizens have spoken, the responsibility of the parties is to articulate a form of Government. And I am confident that the Catalans will speak clearly and give me enough confidence to be able to offer a stable Government.
"I can't tell you more than that the PSC is not going to be the trigger for any electoral repetition."
Q.
The rejection of the Commons to the Budgets that you agreed with ERC in Catalonia triggered the electoral advance. Can it influence the future relations between you and the party of Jéssica Albiach and Ada Colau?
A.
There are opinions of other political groups that I do not fully share or understand, but it is not my responsibility to explain them. I think we have to wait for the results of 12-M to see what solid configuration of Government we can offer with the commons. We have had episodes of collaboration and a lot of harmony and also some differences that, depending on the weight that citizens give to each formation, we will have to see how we articulate.
Q.
If the commons once again put the Hard Rock casino as a red line and you continue defending it, it will be impossible to articulate anything...
A.
This is a project that has a license, that has an administrative process and it cannot be said so happily that the permit is now being withdrawn. It must be processed in accordance with the current legal framework and with respect for environmental parameters. Catalonia has shown in the past that it is capable of doing it and we will be able to do it again.
The Hard Rock is a project that has a license, that has an administrative process and it cannot be said so happily that the permit is now being withdrawn."
Q.
With projects like the Hard Rock project or the expansion of the El Prat airport, it seems that you are in better harmony with Junts than with ERC. Does this presuppose anything in terms of pacts?
A.
We have enormous differences with Junts, but this does not prevent us from reaching agreements on some issues, but also with ERC, with the PP or with Ciudadanos or the commons. We are in favor of Catalonia continuing to generate prosperity and to do so, connectivity is key. El Prat is the sixth airport in Europe and I do not want to lose this asset. In the past we have carried out large works such as the expansion of the port of Barcelona, even diverting the channel of the Llobregat River, and we have done it well, with the highest environmental demands. This is what we must do.
Q.
What do you think of Carles Puigdemont being a candidate again and his promise that he will return to Spain if he is ready to be sworn in as president?
A.
It seems so good and normal to me that he has already participated in the last two elections as a candidate. We have worked courageously from the Government of Spain to normalize the situation with the amnesty law. With respect for other political formations, it seems to me that the failure of Junts and ERC in the Government in recent years is quite verifiable. We will only turn the page on this if they both go to the opposition. The way to overcome the
process
is with the Popular party in the opposition in Spain and Junts and ERC in the opposition in Catalonia.
Q.
You said before the general elections last summer that there would be no amnesty. Doesn't it lose credibility to now say that there will be no referendum?
A.
Someone may think so, but the reasons for one thing and another must be explained. Everything that serves to deepen the division of the citizens of Catalonia seems wrong to us, and a referendum affects this division. Amnesty is forgiveness. And I have already told you that forgiving is not erasing anything, it is building the future.
"Anything that serves to deepen the division of the citizens of Catalonia seems wrong to us, and a referendum affects this division."
Q.
The latest polls say that up to 30% of PSC voters reject the amnesty. What does it say to these sectors?
A.
I tell them that I understand their reasons for the bad times they experienced when in 2017 they wanted to unilaterally break the framework of coexistence. But Spanish democracy has proven to be solid and strong to overcome this situation and we must express generosity to open a new stage.
Q.
You maintain that you are the only guarantor that Catalonia has a new financing system. Why and how will you do it?
A.
Because for 10 years the independentists have not done anything, nor have they gone to the negotiating tables. And because I have been part of a Pedro Sánchez Government that granted 20,000 million to the autonomous communities on a non-refundable basis, 5,000 of them to Catalonia. Catalonia has received more financing than in any previous stage.
I have been part of a Government that granted 20,000 million to the non-refundable communities, 5,000 of them to Catalonia. “It has received more funding than in any previous stage”
Q.
Is the way to improve the financing of the unique powers of Catalonia such as the Mossos or prisons?
A.
It is a way. It must be calculated, but the first thing is to reestablish a climate of loyalty between administrations. We have to talk. And it is true that Catalonia is the third community in providing resources and the fourteenth in obtaining resources per capita. This must be put on the table and a negotiation must be made about it. I intend to work with this, we must guarantee that we will not generate frustration for the Catalans again.
Q.
In recent weeks, your name has appeared linked to the
Koldo case
of irregularities in the purchase of masks during the pandemic. You were Minister of Health and in a Civil Guard report, alleged members of the plot maintain that you approved some of those purchases. Is that so?
A.
The purchases made by the Ministry of Health during the pandemic are published. There were no purchases of the kind you mention. That is why I am extremely calm and, just as I gave the appropriate explanations during the pandemic, I am willing to give them whenever I am asked.
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