The Basque PSE Rescues The Federalist Proposal For Catalonia And The Basque Country

While the political-media debate over the negotiations which the PSE and the Catalan, Basque and Galician pro-independence and nationalist parties will have to undertake so that the Socialists can invest Pedro Sánchez as Spanish prime minister rages on, the leader of the Basque Socialists (PSE), Eneko Andueza, rescued the federalist proposal to solve the conflicts over sovereignty in Catalonia and the Basque Country. 

The PSE’s secretary general said this Friday in an interview on Onda Vasca radio that he is in favor of reforming the Spanish Constitution and bringing the Spanish state towards a federal territorial model —that is, a more decentralized state, like the United States or Germany— “which is more in line with the current situation” and “with a Magna Carta that is more adapted to the times.”

“We all have to be aware that we have a Constitution which will not allow us to do anything some nationalist parties will demand”, in reference to the referendum and eventual independence; and he added “it is much better to live together, with a territorial model that allows us to live in harmony”, argued Andueza. In this context, the PSE’s leader accused the nationalist parties of “slamming the door shut” when there was an opportunity to talk about the territorial model.

Regarding ERC’s and Junts’ demands to support Pedro Sánchez’s investiture, or at least abstain, Andueza considered “they have to be aware of what is at stake in Catalonia.”

“There is now social and political peace in Catalonia, which is positive for society. They must be aware of what they have at stake. Trying to strain or use the political situation to extort money was not going to bring them much political gain either. Taking us to new elections would have a very high cost for Catalan nationalism, and I don’t think they are in a position to play Russian roulette,” said Andueza.

He bashed the right-wing for appealing to turncoats.The PSE’s leader also referred, among other issues, to last Sunday’s elections and the “fragmented” political panorama in Spain, and pointed out that, pending the distribution of the Spanish Parliament, the PP’s decision to attempt an investiture will be met with “failure”. 

He also pointed out that “no good socialist” would never make a right-wing candidate president, while accusing the PP of resorting “to ‘tamayazos and turncoats’ when they do not achieve their objective”. “We will wait for Mr. Feijóo to fail in his attempt to become prime minister and, afterward, it will be the PSOE’s moment. Without losing our nerves or being in too much of a hurry, we will let them run into their own wall,” said Andueza.

“Now they are appealing to turncoats, what they call ‘good socialists’ to invest Feijóo. What I would say to them is that any good socialist would never appoint a right-wing president he said,”adding that currently “the danger is not Vox, but the PP”. 

He also accused the PP of not being “responsible with Spanish society, having not supported royal decrees and having spoken ill of Spain to Europe.Now they are appealing to the responsibility of others to appoint a far-right president. They can forget about it because no one in the PSOE will follow there whim he added.

Produced in association with El Nacional En

Edited by Priscilla Jepchumba and Judy J. Rotich