Natalia Puga Santiago
Santiago
Updated Monday, February 12, 2024-01:41
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With the Amnesty Law marking the present and the Catalan
process
, and with its consequences conditioning the political agenda, the Galician regional elections put the focus on nationalism and how another of the historical nationalities will channel it. The BNG faces the event as the strongest party on the left, which would lead a possible progressive government if the PP does not regain its current absolute majority and, in its program, it promises the "promotion of a new political framework" with "more and better self-government." » and «sovereignty to decide». A proposal reminiscent of ERC, a group with which it has forged electoral alliances.
The identity debate is one of the differentiating features of the BNG and, when faced with direct questions,
Ana Pontón
does not hesitate to talk about it but during the campaign she leaves it in the background and shifts the focus towards her social and economic program while managing to climb in the polls. occupying the space of the moderate left.
"They are a B branch of everything that the independence movement would do with the complicity of
Sánchez
if they could in Galicia,"
Alfonso Rueda
reproached him during the five-person debate on Galician television, attempting to undermine the nationalist project that he is managing to avoid. Pontón admitted to viewers that he will ask for a "new nation status for Galicia in the State" and that he seeks "more financial self-government."
Only the PP candidate got involved, with the leader of the PSOE,
José Ramón Gómez Besteiro
, limiting himself to talking about "useful Galicianism." While the rest of the left-wing parties tiptoe around the issue, this is becoming the main flank of attack by the PP, which has hardened its message as the campaign progresses and makes it ugly for them to try to "whiten" their image and its relations with Bildu or ERC. They have forged alliances with both forces in the European elections, but in the regional elections there is no type of relationship.
For the formation led by Ana Pontón, the policies developed by the PP in almost 30 years of Government since the Transition, "have made our country increasingly smaller." She proposes a government program so that
Galicia
becomes "a country that is its own owner", with proposals such as a "linguistic immersion model", the increase in personal
income tax
or "its own judicial power".
Referendum
For the Galician Nationalist Bloc, the political role recognized for Galicia in the
Constitution
and the
Statute of Autonomy
of 1981 is "insufficient and inadequate to provide solutions to the problems" of the region and heads its long 198-page program giving priority, as First point, to a new status that replaces the current autonomous model. The program does not propose a referendum, but rather a new political framework that "emanates from the exercise of the right of self-determination of the Galician people" under a basic premise: "We decide for ourselves." He hopes that one of the great debates in Galicia will be the identity debate, "as it already is at the state level," and details that he does not renounce the "strategic objective of full sovereignty for Galicia."
The BNG seeks progress in the self-government of Galicia, "as long as the new institutional framework is not consolidated." The first step would be to execute the pending transfers of the current Statute, by convening the
Mixed Transfer Commission
between the
Xunta de Galicia
and the central
Government
. The second, promote a
Self-Government presentation
in the
Parliament of Galicia
that "establishes a new framework for relations with the Spanish State." In that presentation, he asks for the recognition of Galicia's right to self-determination, "in accordance with its condition as a nation."
To delve into the "decision-making capacity" it proposes "without delay" the transfers and transfers of highways, roads, ports, airports, air traffic control, coasts, maritime rescue and the fight against marine pollution or powers in matters of foreign trade exercised by
ICEX
.
Linguistic immersion
The Government drawn up by the BNG aspires to a "new attitude" towards the linguistic issue, which is reflected in the real recognition of the language to allow the "right to use our language at all times and in all places", also in all institutions. Given the "linguistic emergency" they detect, they propose the immediate repeal of the current
Linguistic Normalization Law
of
1983
and the "disastrous" decree of plurilingualism in the educational system of
2010
, as well as creating new regulations that seek to activate "plurilingual competences" establishing an educational offer "completely or mainly in the Galician language."
His patron has a special impact on education. It wants to "recognize Galician as the vehicular language in teaching" and an "immersion model" with the aim of "achieving full linguistic normalization and teaching entirely in Galician" that is reminiscent of the beginnings of the Catalan project.
This new scenario includes introducing Galician in extracurricular, leisure and free time tools for children and youth, from toys to camps, sports, music, audiovisuals, video games, books, theater, conciliation activities or spaces for families.
More Portuguese
Their path forward is Lusophony and the historical and current relationship between Galicia and
Portugal
, which in the linguistic field leads them to speak of "countries of Galician-Portuguese expression" and to promote that the entire community can tune in to radio and television. Portuguese. In the educational field, it incorporates the offer of the Portuguese language in all centers as well as specific places for Portuguese in public employment offers.
Within this ambitious linguistic policy that aspires to be transversal throughout its administration, the BNG also proposes agreements with the competent administrations in Seabra
and
Bierzo
(
Castilla
y León
), in the
Eo
and
Navia
region (Asturias) and in the
Val de Ellas
(
Extremadura
), places where Galician is spoken and they aim to promote it, in the style of the
Catalan Countries.
Signs and law in Galician
They also aspire to act in public organizations by regulating linguistic uses in public administrations, so that Galician is the "normal language" of the administration of Justice, demanding "mandatory and proven" knowledge and the use of Galician by civil servants. The plan includes that judges have the duty to know Galician to work in Galicia.
In the business field, they want to promote the co-official language through labeling, signage, advertising or customer service in Galician. Also, incorporate Galician into new technological tools and implement the language perspective in contracts and tenders for public services.
Neither state nor provinces
Another of its political lines is the "deep" review of state institutions, asking for "capacity for direct impact" in their appointment and even "capacity to veto State action in Galicia" and, along the same lines, direct presence of Galicia. in European and international institutions. At the same time as they separated from the State, they changed their territorial organization, with the elimination of the provinces and their reference as electoral constituencies, the disappearance of the provincial councils and structuring Galicia based on the town councils and regions.
Own Judicial Power
The
Administration of Justice
plays a fundamental role in Galicia governed by the BNG, in which it proposes "its own judicial power" that will be the "last judicial instance", remembering the powers in matters of Justice that Catalonia claims and eliminating those of the
Court Supreme
. The
Superior Court of Justice of Galicia
would, therefore, be the highest decision-making body.
The current Constitution has no place in this Galicia of the BNG, which maintains that "the exercise of sovereignty requires another constitutional framework that recognizes Galicia's capacity to decide" and, in the judicial field, this new model would translate into "complete reformulation" of the
Constitutional Court
, which "would cease to exercise functions over Galicia", transferring conflicts of jurisdiction to arbitration solutions through bilateral political bodies.
Economic agreement
The economic model has a very important weight in that self-government that the nationalists defend, but also leaning towards a line of greater fiscal pressure. In this legislature, negotiating with the Government a new model based on the "economic agreement" is set as a "priority." The Block aspires to achieve a financing model in which Galicia has the "full capacity" to implement its fiscal policy and has its own
Treasury
and public bank. As long as this system of economic agreement with full powers is not achieved, it defends fiscal autonomy and the transfer of
Sareb
's assets or the management of the
Minimum Vital Income
and requests the complete transfer of
Personal Income Tax
,
VAT
and
Special Taxes
and that the corporate tax becomes autonomous in nature.
More taxation
Once they have these taxes, they will establish new sections in the general
personal income tax
rate to increase it to the highest incomes, they will establish an additional tax on the
Corporate Tax
, they will eliminate the
Wealth Tax
bonus and they will bet on creating new taxes on large companies. commercial surfaces or empty homes. They also defend the creation of an environmental tax on high-voltage electrical energy transport facilities, modifying the wind tariff and increasing the tax rate for the
Environmental Damage Tax.
Goodbye Civil Guard
In recent days, the BNG program generated misgivings in the Civil Guard due to its intention to create an autonomous police force imitating
Catalonia
,
the Basque Country
,
Navarra
or the
Valencian Community
. In Galicia there is already a
National Police
unit
assigned to the Community by virtue of a 1990 agreement between the
Ministry of the Interior
and the
Xunta
. This unit depends organically on the Interior and functionally on the Xunta.
The difference with the BNG plan is that it seeks the "full and exclusive assumption of powers in public and road safety" with the creation of a Galician police force, of a "comprehensive" nature, that serves the entire territory. Its objective is to "progressively" assume the functions assigned to the
State Security Forces and Bodies
. Along the same lines, it requests the transfer of traffic and road and public safety powers and fisheries control, inspection and surveillance, functions currently attributed to the Civil Guard of the Sea or the Navy.