Esquerra includes hundreds of policy proposals in eight extended action portfolios and 10 commitments in defence of Catalonia

Esquerra Republicana has published its election manifesto for the elections on the 23rd July, which includes hundreds of measures to be taken to the Spanish Congress and Senate while working to build a Catalan Republic, the only formula to guarantee equal opportunities, social justice, shared prosperity and rights and freedoms for everyone.

To do this, Esquerra Republicana’s election manifesto breaks down each of the areas of action into three levels: the costs involved in Catalonia’s being part of the Spanish State for each area; the desirable model of a Catalan Republic, as opposed to the outdated model maintained by the regime established by the 1978 Spanish Constitution; and a block of policy measures to improve the daily life of the people, consistent with Esquerra’s determination to be of use and achieve improvements for the people, as demonstrated during the present legislature.

All in all, hundreds of policies are to be introduced in the Spanish Congress and Senate, in 36 sectors and grouped into eight extended portfolios, as well as a ten-point commitment in defence of Catalonia, and by extension the Catalan Countries, against the reactionary threat of the far-right and the ultraconservative turn. In this regard, the commitment to independence through the exercise of the right to self-determination in a new, negotiated referendum and with international support stands out, alongside the struggle against the Spanish State’s repression by means of an amnesty. These two demands have been championed by Esquerra Republicana over the last years. Esquerra also reaffirms its commitment to strengthen and promote the Catalan language, especially after the attacks that the language is already suffering under the agreements between far-right VOX and the conservative People’s Party in the Balearic Islands and in Valencia.

Aware that the national struggle and the social struggle are two sides of the same coin, the ten-point commitment includes other aspects regarding the protection and conquest of rights and freedoms, defending the headway made by the feminist and LGBTI movements, combating inequalities in housing, and standing up to the energy utility oligopolies to deal with the climate emergency. The ten-point commitment includes the denunciation of the various economic inequities perpetuated by the Spanish state regarding Catalonia – from disinvestment to the fiscal deficit – and the defence of appropriate infrastructure investment. It is completed by the commitment to fighting fascism and the defence of the rights and freedoms for everyone. This all complements the will to defend Catalonia and the Catalan Countries on all fronts: institutionally, electorally and in the streets with mobilizations.

Besides the negotiation of a self-determination referendum and the drafting of an amnesty bill, Esquerra will include in the policy hub the creation of a democratic front to halt hate speech, the repeal of the so-called Gag Law which limits free-speech, as well as decriminalizing the crime of lèse-majesté in criticism of the corrupt Spanish Bourbon monarchy.

Regarding feminism and LGBTI rights, Esquerra advances a package of forty proposals to protect the entitlements acquired and to obtain new rights. In the social sphere, Esquerra Republicana defends the repeal of the Spanish Aliens Act (Ley de extranjería), promotion of the right to vote as of the age of 16, the full transfer of the minimum living wage, the establishment of a child care benefit scheme, a review of the funding of care for dependents, and an end to the underfunding of Catalonia’s health service.

In economic terms, Esquerra will demand a financing system that will put an end to the arbitrary and unfair fiscal deficit of the Catalan Countries, and at the same time a compensation fund for the innumerable infrastructure budgets that have remained unexecuted. Likewise, Esquerra will also demand equitable distribution of the budget deficit allowance to support the local administrations so that they may dispose of any treasury surfeits, along with a tax reform that guarantees fair distribution of wealth.