A Former ERC Counselor Calls His Party 'Job Placement Company'

ERC is going through a serious credibility crisis that has sunk it in the latest elections with the loss of thousands of votes. The electoral decline has accentuated the internal division, bringing the party to the brink of rupture. The leaders and former leaders of the party insist on publicly showing the fracture, day in and day out.

The latest is Josep Lluís Huguet, former Minister of Commerce, Tourism, and Consumption (2004) and of Innovation, Universities, and Business (2006). Huguet has harshly criticized the leadership of his party. It was due to the latest information known about the former head of communication Tolo Moya.

These days it has emerged that the Barcelona Provincial Council has hired Tolo Moya, the former communication director of ERC, as an advisor to the presidency area. This information is controversial because Moya was implicated in the Alzheimer's poster scandal. In fact, he had already worked as an advisor in the Provincial Council until he was dismissed after the ERC's B structure scandal broke out.

Josep Lluís Huguet Throws a Dart

That scandal sparked a war between the Oriol Junqueras sector and the Marta Rovira sector. Tolo Moya pointed to Sergi Sabrià, from Marta Rovira's sector, as the leader of the plot. Those close to Marta Rovira now accuse the new party leadership headed by Oriol Junqueras of having rewarded Moya with a position in the Provincial Council.

ERC's leadership denies it and assures that the decision is from PSC, which controls the Barcelona Provincial Council. The opposition to Oriol Junqueras, led by Xavier Godàs, suggests that it is part of the pact between ERC and PSC. 

In the midst of this war, Josep Lluís Huguet has appeared to launch a harsh criticism of the current ERC leadership. The former minister has called his party a "job placement company for positions." Huguet echoes Xavier Godàs's message, accusing ERC of agreeing with PSC on hiring leaders as advisors to the Provincial Council.  

Josep Lluís Huguet was one of the 450 signatories of the manifesto against Oriol Junqueras during the leadership dispute within the party. Huguet was one of the republican leaders and former leaders who gave explicit support to Xavier Godàs's candidacy. Alongside him were other heavyweights like Joan Puigcercós, Ernest Benach, Joan Ridao, or Ernest Maragall himself.

The Struggle Within ERC Continues

Josep Lluís Huguet is not the only one who has attacked Junqueras after learning about Tolo Moya's new position. Former councilor and former ERC deputy Jordi Orobith has also thrown a dart at his organization. "I broke my back as a municipal candidate at the party's worst moment, and I haven't come all this way to give up or compromise," he warned.

Orobitg's message is relevant because it shows the attitude of the opposition to Junqueras, who have decided to remain in the party. This increases internal tension. Although the possibility of a split was considered, the critics have decided to stay and establish themselves as a current to fight Junquerism from within.

Oriol Junqueras is immersed in a reunification process that is currently failing. His strategy involves extending his power to the territorial delegations, although he is encountering strong opposition from them.