The Frente Amplio candidate for the presidency of the Government, Ada Colau, defended this Sunday in Palma that her coalition represents "the authentic useful vote" of the workers and has set the goal of reaching 10% of the votes in the general elections on November 29. Likewise, the former mayor of Barcelona has explained that her objective is not to achieve the presidency of the Government due to a personal aspiration, but rather to promote a collective movement that guarantees the right to housing, combats speculation and promotes greater social justice.
He said this during a pre-campaign event for Ara MéS–Front Ampli, where he pointed out that the joint candidacy of the left is around 8% in voting intention, according to surveys, and has maintained that reaching 10% would therefore allow us to go from eight to 22 deputies and take away seats from Vox. "I am not running to be president of Spain. I am running because I believe that the time has come to make the right to housing effective and put an end to speculation in this country," said Colau, who has also assured that she is especially excited to present herself as a feminist and Catalan-speaking woman, and therefore claim her mother tongue during this electoral campaign.
Housing, a priority for Frente Amplio
The candidate has placed the housing crisis as one of the main reasons for her candidacy and has announced that her party intends to turn its regulation into a "non-negotiable" priority of an eventual progressive government. Among its proposals are limiting tourism, modifying Housing and Land laws to curb tourist uses, prohibiting speculative purchases and strengthening inspections to guarantee compliance with regulations.
He has also proposed establishing an annual tax of 10% on the real estate assets of those who own more than four homes for speculative purposes and resorting to the expropriation of large owners. Colau has defended these measures against what he considers an excessive concentration of wealth and has assured that in Spain there are 13 investment funds that accumulate 100,000 homes, a situation that he has described as "intolerable" and "immoral."
The PP and Vox, with the investment funds
The candidate has accused the PP and Vox of sharing the same political and economic agenda that favors large landowners and vulture funds over the needs of working families. Colau has especially criticized the PP's land liberalization proposals, which he has linked to an increase in inequality, the concentration of wealth and the destruction of territory, and has specifically warned of its consequences for the Balearic Islands. He has also reproached both parties for focusing their speeches on housing on illegal occupation while, as he denounced, they avoid addressing the problem of illegal tourist apartments and the activity of vulture funds.
The candidate has defended the formation of a future progressive government, although she has reproached the PSOE for its lack of determination to confront large fortunes and speculators. In his opinion, the strengthening of Frente Amplio would make it possible to promote pending reforms in housing and taxation, in addition to redistributing resources towards education, health and pensions. Colau recalled her career as president of the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages (PAH), which she considers her main political school, and the measures adopted during her time as head of Barcelona City Council to combat illegal tourist apartments.
Urtasun assures that they will demand that the PSOE make Rodalies the priority
On the other hand, the Minister of Culture and number 2 of Frente Amplio for Barcelona to Congress, Ernest Urtasun, has promised this Sunday that the first measure they will take if the progressive government is reissued will be to demand from the PSOE that the priority in railway investments be Rodalies. He stated this at the event 'El Baix Llobregat cap a la vague general de l'11N', held in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona) with the candidate for mayor of the town, Lídia Muñoz, and the secretary of the CC.OO pensioners federation. Aurora Huerga.
He has regretted that "1,330 million euros" are committed to the project promoted by the former Minister of Transport of the Government, Óscar Puente, to achieve 350 kilometers per hour on the AVE. "The Manresa-Barcelona train currently takes exactly the same time as it did in the 19th century, more than an hour and a half. And this is an absolutely intolerable shame," he assured.
Likewise, the minister has referred to an interview by Feijóo in El País in which he stated that it was not up to him for Vox to enter the Government, and has considered that the popular leader "once again, lies." "He wants to govern with Vox, he has already decided, he governs with Vox in many autonomous communities," he said in this sense, and has contrasted the attitude of the PP with that of other European right-wing parties, who in his opinion continue to veto pacts with the extreme right.
