Barcelona en Comú assembly passes motion to stand in the Spanish general elections on the ticket “En Comú Podem”

This is a translation of the Barcelona en Comú press release of 28 October, 2015.

The Barcelona en Comú plenary assembly has ratified the motion to stand in the Spanish General elections on 20 December, with 71% of votes in favour. After an intense debate, participants in the assembly have agreed that Barcelona en Comú should stand as part of a Catalan coalition with other political forces under the name “En Comú Podem” (Together We Can).

The terms of the agreement are as follows:

- The candidature will be a Catalan coalition that aims to secure its own parliamentary group in the Spanish Congress.

-The election ticket in Barcelona will be headed up by Xavi Domènech, one of the leading voices in debates on constitutional processes, and a figure of consensus among the political forces that have signed up to the agreement. The second spot on the list will be filled by independent candidate, Marta Sibina, former Director of the magazine Caféambllet and public healthcare activist. The list will also include independent activists from social movements for the right to housing, citizen debt audits, and labour rights. The lists for the remaining provinces of Catalonia are still to be confirmed, but they will also be headed up by independents with links to social movements.

-The policy programme will be based on the following four points:

a. Radical democracy by means of the right to Catalan self-determination. A demand for a binding referendum on the political future of Catalonia through which all opinions can be expressed freely with legal guarantees.

b. The defense of the citizen municipal movement which is already demonstrating that another form of government is possible, as a way of defending social rights, public services and the common good.

c. An emergency citizen rescue plan to deal with the crisis and austerity politics, with the aim of stopping the democratic backsliding seen in recent years (through the labour market reforms, mafia-like privatizations, energy poverty, and the Montoro Law that has attacked the autonomy of local governments, among other examples).

d. New mechanisms for change that tackle cross-border challenges such as the TTIP and climate change.

Barcelona En Comú calls on all citizens to make sure that the change Spain is undergoing doesn’t falter at the general elections. We need to come together to take back our democracy, put an end to the two party system, and kick out the corrupt government responsible for the economic and institutional crises.