Mas calls for 27-S unity
President of the Generalitat calls on ANC, Òmnium and AMI to work for sovereignty in the September election
Civil societies call emergency meetings to discuss Mas's proposal
The proposal with which Artur Mas yesterday began on the road to the Catalan elections was in fact an appeal to the sovereignty organisations, Assemblea Nacional Catalana, Òmnium Cultural and AMI, to stand on candidate lists that assure maximum unity among supporters of sovereignty.
“Do not think about a president's list, if necessary think about a list that includes the president, which is not the same thing,” he said in his address to the Foment Cultural i Artístic de Molins de Rei. Convergència chose Molins de Rei as the place to launch its campaign, Benvinguts al futur.
With a single sovereignty candidate list ruled out by ERC and CUP, Mas chose to focus attention on the civil societies. His argument was a simple one: if these organisations have shown themselves capable of mobilising millions of people in favour of independence, they now need to take the lead in turning the September election into a plebiscite.
“I invite the sovereignty organisations, in the decisive moment of victory for yes-yes, to work towards the maximum unity possible in the sovereignty sphere,” he said.
Mas's invitation, which was also extended to the Pacte Nacional pel Dret a Decidir, leaves the ball in the court of the civil organisations. His words took the ANC and Òmnium by surprise, and in response they convoked internal emergency meetings to evaluate the president's words. Once Mas's proposal has been discussed, a joint statement in the next few days may well be forthcoming.
Also, Mas said that his role in standing for the elections is not predetermined: “I offer myself and can be counted on to help in whatever way is required,” he said, thereby opening up the possibility that he will not even head a list. He also made it clear that “CDC can be counted on” to work alongside sovereigntists in Unió, PSC and even the descendents of the former PSUC.
The president also referred to the break-up of the CiU coalition as proof that “things are very serious”, and he assured his audience that if his proposal for unity candidate lists is not successful, Convergència will stand in the 27-S election.