CiU’s Artur Mas labels ERC as cowards, urges Maragall to form minority government

Convergència i Unió (CiU) leader Artur Mas believes the demand made by the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), that voters spoil their ballot papers in the June referendum on the new statute of autonomy for the region, is inappropriate for a party which forms part of the government.

Mas urged the president of the three-party coalition government of the Generalitat, Pasqual Maragall, to be ‘courageous’ and to restructure his cabinet and form a minority government, without the ERC.

The CiU leader went on to say that the Catalan tripartite had ‘expired’ and is ‘broken’ over the dissent shown over such a ‘fundamental’ topic as the new statute of autonomy - the Estatut - for the region.

Artur Mas described the decision of the ERC to ask voters to spoil their ballot papers as ‘cowardly’, ‘improper’ and a ‘perversion of democracy’ from a party in government.

During the press conference in which Mas spoke, he accused the ERC ‘of not having the courage’ of simply calling for a ‘no’ vote in the referendum, which is expected to be held on 18 June.

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