"I think we are now facing an opportunity to move forward in resolving the political conflict between Catalonia and Spain," Pere Aragonès said, in an 'online' meeting this week with journalists from various countries' media outlets, including Lusa News Agency. For the leader of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC, pro-independence), the opportunity arises from the "majority games" that currently exist in the Spanish parliament, where the minority government of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was sworn in, in November, with the votes of nationalist and pro-independence parties and continues to depend on them to pass laws. "The Government of Spain, perhaps more out of convenience than conviction, is willing to sit down at a negotiating table," added Pere Aragonès, who has led the Catalan regional government (known as the Generalitat) since June 2018. Aragonès is running in the May 12 elections claiming merits in what he considers to be achievements and progress "in the territorial conflict" between Catalonia and the Spanish State, based precisely on negotiations with Pedro Sánchez's executive: pardons and an amnesty for separatists involved in the 2017 independence attempt. "They told us that the amnesty was unconstitutional and the amnesty will be approved," he stressed, after being confronted with the opposition of Sánchez's Government and the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) to a referendum. "All negotiations start with a no," added Pere Aragonès, whose goal for the next legislature is to "lay the foundations for a referendum", that is, to establish the conditions under which a legal consultation could be held and recognised by all parties on "what the relationship between Catalonia and Spain should be", including independence. After the dejudicialisation of the political conflict, with the pardons and amnesty, it is now a matter of "opening the second phase" and negotiating with the Government of Spain the conditions for a referendum, "to resolve the underlying issue", he explained. At the head of the Generalitat and after having made Sánchez's governments viable, the ERC transformed "a confrontational situation" that had been going on since 2017 "into a negotiation", stressed Aragonès, who assured that this is the path that the party continues to defend and will maintain. The option for dialogue and negotiation with the Spanish Government led to the rupture of the alliance that had existed for years between pro-independence parties and, in 2022, Together for Catalonia (JxCat), of former regional president Carles Puigdemont, left the regional government, where it was in coalition with the ERC. Puigdemont, who has been living in Belgium since 2017 to escape Spanish justice, is also a candidate in the May 12 elections. Aragonès stressed that if Puigdemont returns to Catalonia it will be due to the amnesty that the ERC also negotiated with Sánchez and not "because of an electoral result". In addition, he added, even JxCat has begun to abandon the path of confrontation and move towards negotiation, having made Sánchez's last Government viable. In addition to the referendum, Aragonès is running in these elections with a proposal for greater fiscal autonomy for Catalonia (which involves an agreement with the central Government) and the goal of "strengthening the welfare state" in the region, with measures focused on health, education, housing or the environment, especially combating drought. In addition to the "progress in resolving the political conflict", the politician focuses the campaign on the "very positive" results in terms of public services and the economy in the last three years. "We have the lowest unemployment rate in the last 16 years and three points lower than the Spanish average," he stressed. The polls for the May 12 elections all give the victory to the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC, regional structure of the PSOE) and a dispute for second place between ERC and JxCat, with the latter gaining ground in recent days. Stressing that there are almost three weeks to go before the elections and that a large part of the electorate decides their vote at the end or after the campaign, Aragonès said he believes he will end up the winner, as he personifies the only proposal that, in his view, does not cause rejection on the part of the Catalans and responds transversally to their concerns. "Carles Puigdemont's project is Carles Puigdemont" and its only goal is the return of the former regional president to office, with no other proposals or any programme known, he argued. As for the PSC, led by former Health Minister Salvador Illa, it translates, for Aragonès, into the "project of Moncloa", the headquarters of the Spanish Government, and into a submission of Catalonia's interests to those of Spain. Despite this, Aragonès said he would only exclude post-election agreements with the far right (for "a question of ethical commitment") and with the Spanish Popular Party (PP, right). Read Also: Sánchez threatens to resign, but Spain cannot have elections now. Understand (Portuguese version)