The letter from 31 critical leaders of the Assembly of Representatives, the false Parliament created by Puigdemont to give legal cover to the Consell of the Republic, has caused a serious crisis within the independence movement.. Puigdemont dissolved the Assembly by decree when it asked him for explanations about expenses and ordered him to agree on any support for an investiture before saying anything to Madrid.. The rebels denounce despotism and authoritarianism, anti-democratic attitudes and ostentatious and uncontrolled expenses in the Consell de la República.

Thanks to this action, it has become known that everything surrounding Puigdemont is a farce: the Assembly of Representatives was not designed to be a democratic body as if it were a 'Parliament' of the Catalan Republic: it was just a screen to justify the existence of a body, the Consell of the Republic, with a 'Government' handpicked by Puigdemont himself. One of the representatives of the Assembly, Montse Martí, another of the activists who abandons Puigdemont, leaves with deep reproaches: “Myths are falling as we unmask the supposed leaders.”. What tastes worse is that those who claim to be the people, represent the people and always put the people in their mouths betray us like the most… what a shame!”. In addition to the critics of the Assembly, the former delegate of the Council of the Republic in the south of France, Júlia Taurinyà, denounces dark economic maneuvers in the dome of the Chiringuito de Puigdemont.

For the escaped former president, the letter from the 31 rebels tasted really bad and he counterattacked this Wednesday with an official statement from his Consell de la República.. He assured that all decisions on the restructuring were taken “unanimously” by his Government. The crux of the matter is not that: his Government is made up of unconditional supporters handpicked by him personally.. His excuse is irrelevant, for the rebels: “The decision to dissolve the Assembly early, although formally it can only be taken by the president of the Consell, had at all times the unanimous agreement of all the members of the Government,” he insists on several occasions. Puigdemont. Puigdemont defends that his 'dictatorial' and 'conspiratorial' coups only seek to “improve the functioning of the Consell, always with the desire to make it more democratic and more effective.”. He thus assumes the cacicadas denounced by the signatories of the letter because “the critical considerations that in the 'open letter' are personified in the figure of the vice president should be addressed, in any case, to the Government as a whole”.

Puigdemont denies that he has fallen into “an authoritarian drift” and that his beach bar now has “a pyramidal and autocratic structure,” justifying the presidential strategy of that court body.. “It is completely incorrect to describe the Government's attitude as 'despotic',” he emphasizes.. Furthermore, it belittles the signatories of the letter because it considers that “they represent a non-majority part of the Assembly of Representatives.”. Furthermore, it emphasizes that seven of them resigned from their positions as members of the Assembly, which does not diminish the importance of dissidence..

“The seven of us resigned for all those reasons and that is why our opinion is equally valid.”. When Mr. Castellà [Antoni Castellà, leader of Demòcrates de Catalunya, friend of Puigdemont and one of his ministers] told us, without shame, that the Government did not expect anything from our work and that the Assembly of Representatives had only been created to legitimize to the elected Government, was the turning point,” says Mònica Gómez, one of those bounced. You just have to see who makes up Puigdemont's 'Executive': in addition to him as president and Toni Comín as vice-president, there is the aforementioned Antoni Castellà, the fugitive Lluís Puig (former Culture Councilor), the ex-chanting Lluís Llach, the Cuban Guillem Fuster and his partner Aurora Madaula (member of the Parliament Bureau), Teresa Vallverdú, Mercè Jou, Carme Garcia, and Montserrat Corrons. All friends who do not represent anyone. In this circumstance, critics abound.

Joan Font, another of those who resigned from their duties, also points out: “I resigned as a member of the Board due to a drift or way of doing things typical of partitocratic politics that moved away from the democratic and founding principles of the Consell.”.

Puigdemont justifies Puigdemont

Puigdemont also rejects the accusations that the Consell is used by himself and by Comin. “We consider it outraged that 'personal interests' are attributed to members of the Consell Government who in 2017 were part of the Government of the Generalitat”, justifying the ostentatious expenses of which they accuse him.. “The aim has been to guarantee the necessary physical and technological equipment so that its plenary sessions, whether in person or virtual, are held with the dignity that this parliamentary body demands”. And he adds that “there has not been any favorable treatment in the management and distribution of resources,” ensuring that “more economical offer criteria and better payment conditions” were always followed in their expenses.. And not only that: it justifies itself by saying that “the Government confirms that the economic management of the council has always followed the criteria of efficiency, austerity, transparency and accountability”. In other words: Puigdemont audits Puigdemont and confirms that his expenses are correct.

Behind the complaint, however, there are important activists. One of the signatories is Jaume Sastre, a Mallorcan professor who presides over the Consell of the Republic of the Balearic Islands.. Sastre, known for having carried out a hunger strike in favor of the Catalan, is one of the most combative against Puigdemont. Another of the rebels is Albert Donaire, leader of Mossos per la República and known for his ultra-independence slogans through social networks, some of them xenophobic.. Donaire admits that the open letter to Puigdemont “should have been an internal affair”, but an interview with Toni Comin unleashed the ire of critics. Donaire believes that Puigdemont dissolved the assembly “so as not to give explanations as to why they fail to comply with everything that is approved in the Assembly,” as he explained in a letter addressed to the leadership of the Consell..

Punching at the top

Donaire has hinted that there are pucheras inside the Consell. “Months of failing to comply with what is approved, trying to cook up the results, taking advantage of 'party' representatives for the votes, and even then some were not won by the official position. Party representatives who do not appear in committee meetings, members of the Government treating those who do not have the same opinion as 'geeks', little transparency on certain issues, questions that were never answered, throwing balls away… I could go on with the list, but in the end it is fighting against a monster with contacts on all sides, with friends in the media, with parties behind it,” the Mosso accused Puigdemont after the Consell's own statement..

Josep Guia, a veteran and influential Valencian independence activist, added his signature to the letter. Guia was always a reference for the independence movement due to his pan-Catalanism. Former member of the PSAN, he is a member of the board of the Universitat Catalana d'Estiu and has the Joan Fuster Essay Prize to his credit.. “Now it turns out that they want to pass off as 'democratic radicalism' the replacement of an Assembly of Representatives directly elected by those registered from all the Catalan Countries with a Chamber of indirect representation, without the Valencian Country and the Illes. “What a nose!” Guia poked Puigdemont..

The letter is also signed by businessman Jordi Roset, owner of the company Petrolis Independents, one of the companies that publicly subsidizes and helps the independence movements and that even gave away subscriptions to the Consell de la República among its clients.. Roset was a partner of Junts deputy Joan Canadell until he sold his shares to him last year.

Júlia Taurinyà, who had been the 'ambassador' of the Consell in the south of France, has now been added to the list of those injured.. “I lasted four months in the Consell Delegation. I resigned, among other things, for the reasons reported by critics. And I don't understand how members of the Government [of the Consell], who I consider honest, can cover up what is happening. Everything will come out one day or another,” says Taurinyà. And now he asks for the explanations that were never given to him about the organization of the great rally at the end of February 2020 in which Puigdemont brought together 150,000 people (according to the organizers) in Perpignan: “How much did the Perpignan rally cost? What money was it paid with? Why weren't more companies from Northern Catalonia hired? Why did Toni Comín's environment prevail in the organization? “Many questions with dark answers.” Puigdemont has ghosts accumulating in his back room.