The Catalan president, Salvador Illahas promoted in his first hundred days of government a substantial change in the relationship with State institutions -a sort of return to “normality”- and has placed emphasis on day-to-day management, although its minority forces it not to neglect its investiture partners.
Illa has placed the reinforcement and modernization of public services as his main priority, although in the first stages of the legislature his dependence on CKD and the Commons -with them it reaches the 68 deputies that establish the parliamentary majority-: the internal processes of these two formations have prevented it from fulfilling the promise of having the 2025 budgets ready by January 1.
In the first weeks of his mandate, the president has championed the “institutional normality” that has returned with his presidency and that has been staged by the reestablishment of relations with the Royal Family. Thus, he met again with the king of Spain -after nine years during which the pro-independence executives did not do so-, their participation in the events of October 12 – in this case, after 14 years- or placing the Spanish flag again in his office.
In the field of management, advertisements of a new neighborhood law, of the unblocking of the study commission on the expansion of the airport El Pratthe increase in the Mossos workforce or a plan to build 50,000 public apartments by 2030 have served as a declaration of intent.
Remembered “as a good manager”
“They tell me in a derogatory tone that I am a manager. Yes, politics is managing. If you ask me, how do you want to be remembered? Well, as a good manager,” Illa asserted in the general policy debate, as a formula to defuse criticism from the pro-independence opposition, especially from Junts, which accuses him of being in charge of an “agency.” “We will not do miracles, but we will work“, they emphasize from their trusted team.
Given this, Illa asks for time for the work of his government to be judged based on compliance with the commitments made, among which the pact with ERC so that Catalonia has “unique financing”, which has unnerved other regional presidents, including some socialists.
Dependent on ERC and Comuns
However, these hundred days have been conditioned by the internal situation of a large part of the opposition parties, which have held, or are still immersed, in congressional processes. This ‘impasse’ has allowed the PSC Government had an initial respitebut, at the same time, the delicate situation of ERC, immersed in a serious internal crisis, has prevented progress as planned in the budget negotiation.
Also the Comuns, his other investiture partners, who this weekend celebrate their National Assemblyhave shown doubts with the draft accounts presented by the Catalan government, especially in the area of ​​housing. However, the Government is waiting for both parties to reorganize and trust that they will be able to end up agreeing on budgets, which are essential to comply with the investiture agreements.
On the other hand, the main opposition party, Junts, recently concluded its congress, convened in an extraordinary manner following the investiture of the socialist leader: the post-convergents have been very belligerent with the “Spanish” and “submissive” government of Illa , but it has already been hinted at as a possible centrist ally, as opposed to the left “conservative and reactionary” of ERC and Comuns.
“Normality” and involvement in Spain
“Catalonia is back,” proclaimed the president in his first event in Madrid, in which committed to the construction of a “plural and diverse” Spain and announced a round of meetings with the rest of the regional presidents, with the desire to do pedagogy on singular financing. In the Palau de la Generalitat they avoid “noise” and want to calm the debate on this thorny issue, their collaborators add.
In this sense, they also value the less tension experienced in the Parliament, compared to the Congress of Deputiesa sort of return to the Catalan ‘oasis’ that was glimpsed in Illa’s appearance on the management of the DANA where the opposition He avoided criticism and appreciated the Government’s dialoguemoving away from the polarization and sour tone existing in Madrid.