Illa: "The current reality in Catalonia is very different" after the amnesty

The leader of the PSC considers the Catalan result in the general elections on 29 November to be crucial. He warns that a government of PP and Vox would jeopardise the self-government of Catalonia and the Basque Country.

The president of the Generalitat and leader of the PSC, Salvador Illa, asserts that independence will not be attempted again. He states this in an interview with El Correo in Bilbao, where he participated in a forum alongside Imanol Pradales and two other regional presidents. According to the Biscayan newspaper, he also reviewed the current political situation and the potential influence of incidents in the pre-campaign.

Illa places the public debate on the model of society that is desired. For him, the dilemma is between administrations that protect ordinary people and another in which, in his opinion, some want to turn everything into a business, such as housing, pensions, healthcare, or education.

Regarding the general elections on 29 November, the socialist relies solely on the ballot boxes and not on polls. He anticipates a very competitive election in which the PSOE will come first, and urges voters not to waste their vote or abstain, because in his opinion only the PSOE can win.

Concerning a hypothetical government of the PP with Vox, Illa takes it for granted in terms of self-government. He cites examples such as the introduction of censorship in cinema in Castilla y León and the prohibition of Catalan authors in the Comunitat Valenciana, and warns that the programmes of those parties include the repeal of regional competencies.

As for the amnesty, the leader of the PSC defends that it was taken with the future of Catalonia and Spain in mind. He admits that some saw it as risky, but maintains that the reality has disproven fears that it would fuel independence.

"I don't think so. The current reality in Catalonia is very different."

Illa recalls that, for the first time since 1979, there is a non-independentist majority in the Parlament. He adds that this majority is not politically articulable, as it will not negotiate with Vox, although he does acknowledge that there are people who advocate for independence and have the right to do so as long as the framework of coexistence and legality is respected.

When asked about the return of Carles Puigdemont, Illa responds that the decision depends on him and that he will treat him normally. He recalls that the former president is a member of the Parlament and leader of a party in Catalonia, and that he has benefited from the amnesty law.

"When he decides."

For the Catalan reader, the practical detail is the date: voters in Catalonia will have to decide on 29 November whether the PSC remains Sánchez's great bastion in the Cortes.