Armando G. Tejeda
Correspondent
The newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, September 8, 2024, p. 22
Madrid. The Spanish Prime Minister, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, yesterday received the majority support of the leadership of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) – who gave him a standing ovation for more than two minutes – although he also received criticism for the pact signed in Catalonia with the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) to push forward the investiture of the socialist Salvador Illa and with which he promised to approve a new Catalan agreement that will change the current system of regional financing.
The Spanish president, who did not refer explicitly to the Catalan agreement, expressed his support for creating a fairer system” and a new autonomous stage.
It was the first act of the PSOE Federal Committee since the controversial agreement last August in which Sánchez promised to radically transform the model of public financing in Catalonia, which, if he complies with the agreement, will have a fiscal regime independent of the public coffers of the Spanish State, and the power to collect taxes in full in the region and decide the budget items, including a clause of solidarity with other poorer regions –which are the majority– while Catalonia is one of the most prosperous in the country.
This pact, of which only the general outlines are known so far, caused unrest in a minority sector of the PSOE, including one of its three regional presidents, Emiliano García Page, from Castilla-La Mancha, and the general secretary of the PSOE in Aragon and former president of the region, Javier Lamban. Sánchez, aware that this is a delicate matter among the leadership of his political force, caused the rest of the party to close ranks around him, by announcing what was already a fact: he is going to present himself for re-election for the general secretary of the PSOE at the congress in November.
Sanchez explained during his speech that Power is not only exercised, it is also suffered. Especially when some use it to attack family members, loved ones, with lies.in reference to the criminal complaint against his wife, Begoña Gómez, for alleged crimes of business corruption and influence peddling.
Referring to Catalonia, Sánchez stated that Today, coexistence has been rebuilt. We are working towards understanding among Catalans and the union of the peoples of Spain. The PSOE and the PSC will advance in this process of coexistence and cohesion in Catalonia and all of Spain..
He spoke of two models: the one who defends himself and his party, more fairand the one applied daily by the 11 regional leaders of the right-wing Popular Party (PP). That is why I urged them to have fiscal responsibilityespecially the Community of Madrid, the target of their attacks for its more liberal tax policy than the rest.
Sanchez was willing to do new transfers, recognize singularitiesthat the communities that request it manage or collect more taxes. “If done well, this new autonomous stage can help us create a fairer financing system, which reduces the territorial difference and guarantees the sufficiency of public spending.
“In the matter of regional financing, the real debate is not between territories, but between models. Those who see rights, or goods and merchandise.
We always defend that health, education, dependency or pensions are rights that can never be traded.