Sanchez is eliminated from the most emblematic Rose Festival due to non-existent “bad weather”

“Today, Catalonia is much better than in 2017 “Thanks to a socialist government in Spain,” the president said at his stocktaking press conference last July. A statement he reiterated to present himself as the main person responsible for the deactivation of the process.

In May 2023, the PSC won the Barcelona mayoralty, in the general elections of the same year, the results in Catalonia were essential for Sánchez to continue in Moncloa and just over a month ago Salvador Illa He completed the triumphant cycle by returning the Generalitat to the socialists 14 years later.

For all these reasons, the presence of Pedro Sánchez at this year’s Rose Festival was more symbolic than ever. In the event that the CPS would be in the habit of inaugurating the political course, the president would have the opportunity to underline this message and to give himself a crowd bath with Salvador Illa.

Their presence in the pine forest of Gavà (Barcelona), where this event takes place every year, was confirmed until the last moment. But an hour before the event, the CPS announced that Sánchez would not participate due to a “bad weather”.

The curious thing is that the rest of the poster remained unchanged. And the mayor of Gavà passed by the stage, Gemma Badiaand Illa himself, who spoke of regional financing, territorial solidarity and the return of Catalonia to the institutional fold.

It is true that the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) had launched a yellow alert due to precipitation in some parts of Catalonia. But in the Gavà area, only a cloudy environment was expected with little rainas it happened.

The event, held in an open space, went off without a hitch. A few drops of rain fell and the participants did not even have to open their umbrellas.

In Moncloa, they did not give more explanations than those proposed by the CPS. The president also goes this Monday to New York, where he intends to appear at the United Nations Annual AssemblyHis speech will take place next Wednesday, although during the week he will participate in other parallel forums.

Alternate presence

Pedro Sánchez usually attends the Rose Festival, but he can’t be said to be a fixture at the convention either. He’s the the fifth time it fails since he was elected secretary general of the PSOE in 2014.

During the first four years of his mandate he was in Gavà, until in 2018 he failed for the first time. He returned in 2019 and then chained three editions without attending. Several of them were marked by the pandemic and, in fact, in 2022 they also canceled at the last minute after having contracted covid.

Last year, Sánchez visited the Catalan Socialist Party, in the midst of negotiations for the investiture. He promised that there would be “a socialist government” and a few months later he was sworn in again as president.

Negotiation with Puigdemont

He achieved this through his pacts with the Junts and ERC separatists. And now you have the task of convincing Carles Puigdemont vote in favor of the spending ceiling this week in the Congress of Deputies, as a preliminary step to be able to approve the budgets.

The agreement seems difficult and that is why the PSOE’s organizing secretary, Santos Cerdantraveled to Switzerland this Friday to negotiate with Puigdemont.

There were no details of the meeting, although the government’s sentiment, according to the newspaper, is one of pessimismThe case was handled in the greatest secrecy from Ferraz Street, where Sánchez’s agenda was also not reported.

The president has remained without showing his management in Catalonia, although this week he will be able to recover his international profile -in which he feels most comfortable- of the United Nations General Assembly.