The Government and Citizens are negotiating an agreement so that the liberal formation also supports the sixth extension of the state of alarm. Sources familiar with the talks confirm to EL MUNDO that the negotiation began on Saturday afternoon, when the Executive signed two agreements with the ERC and the PNV to support the last and definitive extension that will also end the confinement and freedom of movements.

At a press conference after the Permanent Executive Committee, Edmundo Bal has confirmed that "all channels of dialogue with the Government are open." As explained, the Executive has so far fulfilled "practically everything agreed with Citizens" to support the two previous extensions.

Cs sources explain that the negotiation is progressing at a good pace and that their main demand is that "the de-escalation takes place under equal conditions for all Spaniards", without any type of privilege from some territories over others.

At the press conference, Bal did not want to give clues about the meaning of the Cs vote, which has supported the five previous extensions, but he has said that he will be guided by "coherence", "prudence", by "doing politics useful "and for" the general interest ". "Citizens will decide the vote thinking about the useful policy, about being a center party and in the general interest of the Spanish, not about what the rest of the parliamentary groups vote for," stressed the deputy.

Sources of the Cs leadership do not see the Government's agreements with the ERC and the PNV as incompatible with the possible support of Cs for the extension. In fact, Bal himself has remarked that what has been agreed with them will apply to all the autonomous communities, not only to Catalonia and the Basque Country. In addition, he stressed that "the table of shame" with Catalonia has been left out of the agreement with ERC. Despite this, Sánchez promised on Sunday to reunite her as soon as possible, and cited July as the best date.

The conversations of the Government and Cs are led by the Chief of Staff of the President of the Government, Iván Redondo, and the first Deputy Secretary for Orange , Carlos Cuadrado. Precisely, one of the conditions for Cs to support the latest extension is that the de-escalation takes place in terms of equality for all the territories, "without privileges for anyone."

For this reason, Cs is proposing to the Government that the phase changes take place in conditions of equality between all the communities, always taking into account the epidemiological situation of each one. "To equal situations, equal solutions", Bal has summarized.

Edmundo Bal has highlighted in his press conference the "coherence" of Cs, that "we have always voted the same" and "with the same principles". "We have always looked at epidemiological and health data and whether the legal tool to combat the virus was the state of alarm and confinement," he explained, "without thinking about what other parliamentary groups do."

I reject the "table of shame"

The Cs parliamentary spokesman has made it clear that his party "will never support a table that we describe as shame", in relation to the dialogue table with Catalonia that Pedro Sánchez wants to reactivate in July. But he has also highlighted that the Government's agreement with ERC does not include holding that meeting.

Support for minimum vital income

The liberal leader has described as "absolutely necessary" the minimum vital income approved by the Government, which has asked that it be processed as a bill to introduce improvements in parliamentary processing.

Cs believes that the Government's project has "significant deficiencies" and has argued that there needs to be coordination with communities and municipalities, that all Spaniards have the right to such income on an equal footing and that it is focused on getting a job . All these questions would be raised later by the training chaired by Inés Arrimadas during its processing in Congress.

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  • Citizens
  • ERC
  • PNV
  • Edmundo Bal
  • Catalonia
  • Ivan Redondo

PoliticsThe Government grants and pacts with Citizens a fifth extension of the 15-day state of alarm after accepting new conditions

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