Roger Torrent will be third on ERC's list for the Catalan Parliamentary elections
The President of Parliament says it's an honour to be in third place
BarcelonaThe President of the Catalan Parliament, Roger Torrent, will be number three on Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya's (ERC) list for the Barcelona constituency in the next Catalan elections. This has been announced on Tuesday by the vice-president and ERC candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, during a visit to the former president of the Parliament Carme Forcadell in the Wad-Ras prison, accompanied by Torrent and the number two for Barcelona, Laura Vilagrà. Torrent has said that for him it is "an honour and a pride" to occupy this third place and, when asked if he would like to continue being president of the Parliament, he has assured that his priority is "to join efforts" in the ERC project.
The candidate explained that the Republicans have two main objectives in the 14-F elections: to overcome the covid-19 crisis, putting life at the centre of public policies, and to build post-covid Catalonia. Torrent has pledged to work for justice and freedom for Catalonia, adding that his will is to "look outwards, beyond the very navel of independence".
After having visited Forcadell in prison, he has defended that the former president of the Parliament "embodies in herself all the republican values" that she defends and has argued that this is the reason is why she is in prison. In this sense, he has reiterated that an amnesty law is the best option for political prisoners, although he has recognized that the path to achieve this "is not easy". Torrent has affirmed that the prisoners deserve to continue fighting for amnesty and self-determination, "and not to do so taking false shortcuts or by making empty speeches".
Roger Torrent has taken a stand alongside ERC in the controversy over Josep Costa's meeting with right-wing identity groups. "What Esquerra has done resonates with me completely. Fascism is fought in a clear way, without nuances", he has stated, but he has declined to say if he will take any measure as president of the Parliament, despite stressing that "democracy must be shielded from the options of the extreme right". "You don't meet with the extreme right, but you confront them", he said.
At the same time, with regard to Vox's (the Spanish extreme right wing political party) expected entry into the Catalan parliament, he urged the other parties to draw a "red line" in order to isolate the political formation.
