Parliament Puts Salvador Illa's Govern in Trouble Over Rodalies Chaos

Salvador Illa appeared this Tuesday before Parliament for the sixth time since he assumed the position of President of the Generalitat. The first five times were to report on the formation of his government and present his main guidelines. This time he had to face the unanimous request for the resignation of the Minister of Territory, Sílvia Paneque.

It was in a monographic session held at the request of ERC, Comuns, and the CUP. Although initially only Junts, CUP, and Aliança Catalana had requested the minister's resignation, ERC, PP, and Vox eventually joined. The Comuns have not yet made a decision.

The opposition will stage the minister's censure on Thursday, and for the first time, it will highlight the weakness of Salvador Illa's government. The President stands by his minister, who was one of his major bets in forming the new government. The unexpected setback of Rodalies adds another problem to the Govern, whose initial optimism is deflating as the months go by.

The Govern, Cornered by the Opposition

The pro-independence parties have taken the opportunity to point to Illa as a protector of PSOE's interests. Junts has said that "what we want is to kick Renfe out of Catalonia" and "a comprehensive transfer to reset the service." ERC has told Illa that "he has to choose between Catalonia and Spain."

It is no coincidence that Junts and ERC have chosen Salvador Vergés and Esther Capella, their two most combative speakers, as spokespersons in the session. Junts takes the opportunity to raise the tone of opposition to Salvador Illa, nothing new. More significant is ERC's stance, which marks a harsher tone with the Govern in line with recent sessions.

The Comuns have also wanted to distance themselves from the Govern, urgently requesting a shock plan and periodic accountability of the service's status. But at this time, they have not yet decided whether to censure the minister. They have also pointed to the state governments of PSOE and PP, forgetting that they are currently governing in coalition.

As expected, Aliança Catalana and the CUP have also emphasized Catalonia's dependence on Spain. AC referred to Catalonia as a "railway colony," and the CUP called for sanctions against Renfe by the Govern.

What did surprise was the PP, which joined the request for the minister's resignation, although for different reasons. They accuse the Govern of yielding to the blackmail of the pro-independence parties and politicizing the Rodalies issue. Vox has appealed for the recentralization of the service and asked the Govern that "if they don't know how to manage, resign."

Salvador Illa Asks for More Time

Salvador Illa has shown his "empathy" and "understanding" toward the users who have suffered the service's mishaps. He has apologized on behalf of the Govern of the Generalitat. Likewise, he has promised all the "demand" while asking for "trust" and "time" to implement service improvements.

The first thing he noted is that "the Rodalies service is not working." Therefore, he has set the resolution of the train problem as his government's absolute priority. But he warned that "the solution will not be easy or immediate," and he promised that "improvements will be seen starting in the coming weeks."

Illa emphasized that his intention is to carry out improvements without interrupting the service, and this requires time and patience. Precisely what the opposition doesn't have, from where they have warned him that his government "is at stake" with Rodalies. For now, the session has highlighted for the first time the solitude of a minority government with many challenges ahead.