The spokesperson of the PP and deputy secretary of Culture and Open Society in Training, Borja Semperassured this Thursday, in an interview with TVE, that his party has no direct contact with the former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, but he acknowledged the conversations with “Junts councilors and leaders.”
“This is not new,” Sémper pointed out after being asked about the intervention of the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, in Barcelona on Wednesday, where he spoke of “indirect contact” with the Junts.
In addition, Sémper said that the PP is not “interpelling” Puigdemont but the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who “accepted” the amnesty “to be president” only, referring also to those statements of Feijóo in which he defended the “normalization of relations” from the “contradiction” of Catalan nationalism while expressing his respect for Puigdemont, who challenged him to consent. Sánchez fell at the investiture.
Sémper believes that “you can respect” Puigdemont and “other Spaniards” who do not “go to Brussels to meet him”, referring to the trip of the acting second vice president and leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, in the framework of negotiations for the establishment of a government.
He believes Sánchez’s negotiations are “caught by the pegs.”
The PP believes that the PSOE’s negotiations with the pro-independence parties for the investiture are “held by pins”, in such a way that they can prepare for any scenario, be it the main opposition party or a new call for elections on January 14.
“It gives the impression that this whole negotiation in which Sánchez is involved is tied together with pins and needles, and there are many pins that support many debates and many positions. If any of these elements fail, the castle will fall,” he said.
Asked about the planned changes in the leadership of the PP, Sémper said that the political landscape must first be cleared to determine whether his formation is an opposition party or not. So, the changes that Feijóo can make are to “adapt” to the scenario he is playing. If there is an opposition, it will be “very strong in the end, very serious, solvent, but also an opposition that has recovered good political forms,” he said.
As for whether he wants to be the next speaker of Congress, Sémper joked by asking the interviewer if he “likes him.” “Look at the trouble I’m in,” he said. “I am in charge of my party,” he continued, saying that he saw people “more capable” than him in the group to assume this responsibility.
