Xavier Godàs, the candidate to challenge Oriol Junqueras for the presidency of ERC, is little known inside and outside the party. And contrary to what it may seem, this is one of the main assets of the Nova Esquerra Nacional candidacy to take over the leadership of a party in need of change.
“I have always been on the pro-independence, national left, but with a modest organic militancy; this is the first time I have made an organic commitment,” said Godàs, who was interviewed this Friday on TV3 and Rac1. He claimed to be so far removed from the internal life of the party that he said he did not even know the duo that has led it for the last decade, formed by Oriol Junqueras and Marta Rovira, who are now publicly at odds.
“I had a pleasant conversation with Junqueras a few weeks ago, we didn’t know each other personally,” he said. “And unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Marta Rovira, just imagine how little I have had any organic life in the party,” said Godàs, who was nevertheless mayor of Vilassar de Dalt between 2011 and 2019 and recently held the position of general director of Civic and Community Action in the Generalitat.
The presidential candidate thus seeks to separate the candidacy of Nova Esquerra Catalana from the sector close to Marta Rovira, who from the general secretariat is still steering the formation until the congress on November 30. “We are not here to support anyone in particular. Democratically I would find it regrettable, we do not define ourselves based on isms that they have a person behind them: neither roviristsis Junquerists“, he said.
What is clear is that his candidacy has the support of Rovira, former president Pere Aragonès and part of the current Executive. In addition to him, there are also Alba Camps running for general secretary; Raquel Sans for the Vice-Presidency of Institutional Affairs, and Teresa Jordà for the Vice-Presidency of Internal Cohesion.
In the current political context, Godàs has argued that ERC “needs to be more forceful when it comes to collecting the bills” and that the investiture agreement with the PSC must be “concretised”. An agreement that he has defined as “one-off and temporary”. Godàs has explained that he voted in favour of investing Salvador Illa in the internal consultation and has shown himself to be in favour of “strengthening” the Catalan left which, according to him, ERC should represent.
“We must be able to maintain a policy of alliances depending on the context that arises without asking permission from Junts, the Catalan right, or from the PSC, the branch left. This subordinate ERC that looks askance must end,” he argued.
Source: www.eldiario.es
