The Republicans also claimed victory for the first time in Barcelona, and Marta Rovira emphasises that the results endorse the political project for Independence and the Republic

Esquerra Republicana secured a historic result in the Spanish Parliamentary elections on April 28: 15 seats in Congress, 6 more than those obtained in 2016, thanks to 1 million voters. The Secretary General of the party, Marta Rovira, pointed out that “today, the ballot boxes have once again justly endorsed our political project: independence has won, the instrument to build the Catalan Republic.” She added that “some wanted these elections to be about threats, censorship and fear, but they have been a show of perseverance, resolve and force of reason to the end.”

Rovira also stressed the importance of uniting more and more people with the Republican project: “This is how we grow, ballot by ballot, election after election, and today we may congratulate ourselves that it has been so.” The fact is that “the pro-independence parties have gained 5 more members of Congress and have won seven percent more votes.” “The pro-independence movement grows when there is no dispute amongst its proponents, when we look around us to our neighbours and we seek to grow in diversity; we are an open, transversal, diverse project,” she concluded.

One of the lead candidates to Congress, Gabriel Rufián dedicated the victory to the Republican political prisoners and exiles: “Oriol, Raul, Marta, Dolors, Carme, Meritxell, congratulations! You have beaten your jailers in these general elections.” “Not only has Catalonia not woken fascism, we will fight and destroy it,” Rufián continued, since the right-wing group of PP, Cs and Vox had finally been stayed, far from a possible majority in Congress. “Do not take any lessons from anyone, because you are Left and Republican: you are Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya —the Republican Left of Catalonia— and you have won,” he pronounced.

Oriol, you told us to win, win and win, and we have won, won and won in Congress and in the Senate, we've filled the ballot boxes with yellow

Pere Aragonès Vice President of the Government

The Vice President of the Government, Pere Aragonès, began by addressing Oriol Junqueras directly: “Oriol, you told us to win, win and win, and we have won, won and won in votes and seats in Congress and in the Senate, we've filled the ballot boxes with yellow!” Aragonès emphasized that Catalonia had voted “independence, Republic, progress and left-wing policies” and even though Pedro Sánchez had won in Spain, in Catalonia Oriol Junqueras had won in Congress and Raül Romeva in the Senate. Thus, “we must open talks and negotiations for a political solution to a political conflict, and the only political solution is to vote in a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia.”

The Vice President celebrated that Esquerra had won the elections to the Spanish Parliament for the first time in Catalonia, but warned that now “we must win our freedom: we need a referendum, the acquittal of all the prisoners, the free return of the exiles and to open a new political scenario.”

The candidate to Mayor of Barcelona, Ernest Maragall, closed by exclaiming “Listen, Spain! Catalonia is Republican,” and adding "Listen, Madrid: Barcelona is Republican!” Maragall emphasized the historic victory by Esquerra in Barcelona, with 200,000 votes, and was convinced that “on May 26th, Barcelona will be even more Republican, because it will have a progressive and Republican mayor.”