Xavier Godàs, candidate to challenge Oriol Junqueras for the presidency of ERC, is little known inside and outside the party. And contrary to what one might believe, this is one of the main assets of Nova Esquerra Nacional’s candidacy to take over the leadership of a party in need of change.
“I have always evolved in the pro-independence and national left, but with a modest organic militancy; “This is the first time I have made an organic bet,” said Godàs, interviewed this Friday on TV3 and Rac1. He has distanced himself so much from the internal life of the party that he said he did not even know the tandem that has led it for a decade, formed by Oriol Junqueras and Marta Rovira, who are currently publicly confronting each other.
“I was able to have a nice chat with Junqueras a few weeks ago, we didn’t know each other personally,” he assured. “And with Marta Rovira, I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing her, unfortunately, look how I didn’t have an organic life in the party,” said Godàs, who was however mayor of Vilassar de Dalt between 2011 and 2019 and recently held the general management of Civic and Community Action of the Generalitat.
The presidential candidate is thus seeking to separate the candidacy of Nova Esquerra Catalana from the sector linked to Marta Rovira, who, from the general secretariat, is still leading the formation until the congress of November 30. “We are not here to support anyone in particular. Democratically that would seem regrettable to me, we do not define ourselves according to isms that they have a person behind them: neither one nor the other roviristsneither one nor the other Junkers” he expressed.
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, Alba Camps is a candidate for the position of Secretary General; 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 argued that the ERC “must be more energetic in collecting bills” and that the investiture agreement with the PSC must “be finalized.” An agreement that he described as “one-off and temporary.” Godàs explained that he voted in favor of Salvador Illa’s investment in the internal consultation and was in favor of the “strengthening” of the Catalan left that, according to him, the ERC should represent.
“We must be able to maintain a policy of alliances according to the context that presents itself without asking for authorisation either from Junts, the Catalan right, or from the PSC, the branchist left. This subordinate ERC that seems to be crooked must stop,” he defended himself.
