In Barcelona politics, Esquerra Republicana (ERC) and Comuns have again voted with the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) to stop President Salvador Illa from appearing in parliament. The latest vote blocked him from answering questions about the teachers' strike and alleged corruption cases.
The decision was taken at a Catalan Parliament spokespersons' board meeting. Junts per Catalunya (Junts) proposed the appearance, but the PSC, ERC and Comuns voted against it. It is the second time in a fortnight that ERC and Comuns have backed the PSC to prevent Illa from facing scrutiny.
Two weeks earlier, the same parties blocked another appearance so Illa could account for alleged corruption cases linked to the Socialist Party. VilaWeb, the source article, said the repeated moves looked more like a pattern than a one-off decision, and argued that a presidential explanation on these issues would be reasonable and normal.
The pattern is notable because ERC and Comuns are not part of the formal Government of Catalonia coalition. The PSC is Illa's party, but ERC and Comuns do not have ministers in the executive and are not bound by a coalition agreement. That is why the repeated votes have raised questions about political alliances and how far each party is willing to go to protect the president.
The teachers' strike also matters politically. The article says ERC has long had support among teachers, with many of its leaders coming from the profession. Blocking a straightforward request for Illa to explain the government's position could therefore carry a cost with a part of its traditional base.
For readers following Catalan politics from Barcelona, the key point is simple, the same three parties have now voted together twice to stop Illa from answering parliament. That leaves open the question of whether this is tactical cooperation, or a sign that ERC and Comuns are becoming too closely tied to the PSC.
For more Barcelona politics coverage, see our community and sport tag pages. The original report was published by VilaWeb.
