Homs: government reshuffle cannot be ruled out following CDC-UDC rift
The Catalan minister stated that his colleagues didn’t discuss the crisis between the two federation partners during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, but he admitted that “obviously, things are happening around us”
BarcelonaCatalan Minister for the Presidency Francesc Homs did not rule out a hypothetical government reshuffle following the rift between Convergència Democràtica (CDC) and its smaller coalition partner, Unió Democràtica (UDC) (1), with all eyes set on the elections on September 27.
The minister stated that the crisis within the federation was not discussed during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting because such matters are for the political parties to deal with. Still, he preferred not to rule out a hypothetical government reshuffle in the next few days or hours. “Obviously, things are happening around us; you cannot deny that there is an intense, lively debate in progress”, he stated.
Mas’ CDC have issued an ultimatum to their federation partner, UDC, urging them to state if they are prepared to join them in an openly pro-independence coalition. If UDC chooses not to, then there is chance that their three government ministers (Joana Ortega, Ramon Espadaler and Josep Maria Pelegrí) may have to resign.
As government spokesman and a CDC member, minister Homs chose not to voice his “formed opinion” about UDC’s role in the independence process, after the internal poll on independence held last Sunday by UDC. Homs merely stated that there are “talks in progress” between both political parties to analyse whether their own road maps for Catalonia might lead to a breakup of the coalition (CiU). He added that we would be finding out “UDC’s definitive stance” in a matter of days or hours “and will have to face the consequences”. “Any government requires a parliamentary majority that supports it; if that majority changes, there will inevitably be consequences for the government”, he added.
Homs stressed that a cabinet reshuffle “is for the president of Catalonia to decide”. When there is any news, the president will inform the interested parties”, he said, and he emphasised that all government ministers are “always” at the president’s service.
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(1) N.T. Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) and its Christian democratic smaller ally, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya (UDC), have run together as a federation (CiU) in every election in Catalonia for the past 30 years.
