From the 'fake parliament' flop to the war within ANC: the pro-separatism movement is collapsing

Catalan separatism is going through a deep and evident crisis. Since they lost the absolute majority in the regional elections, the separatist movement has been plummeting. Two recent events illustrate this decline: Joan Carretero's failed proposal to create a "Parliament Lliure" and the internal struggle that's tearing apart ANC.

Joan Carretero and the "Parliament Lliure": a failed attempt to revive separatism

Joan Carretero, former Minister of Governance and leader of Reagrupament, has tried to rescue an alternative project for Catalan separatism: the "Parliament Lliure." This new parliament aimed to offer an alternative to the regional system and seek international recognition. However, to no one's surprise, the project hasn't received the desired support.

Although the proposal emerged with significant media coverage, at its recent presentation in Barcelona it faced numerous questions and criticisms. Among them were its legal and democratic viability, as well as the voter registry proposed by Carretero. In any case, the proof of failure is that the presentation only had 90 people in attendance when it aims to represent all of Catalonia.

In short, this is a distillation of the separatist process that also comes especially at the wrong time. After the latest regional elections, the separatist movement seems unable to accept the sociopolitical change that's begun in Catalonia. Its first and most notable effect is that separatist promises no longer appeal to the public.

ANC: between internal division and loss of influence

The crisis of the separatist movement is also reflected in the internal struggle shaking ANC. The organization is fractured by internal differences over its future. Recent moves to reform its statutes and regulations have sparked a wave of criticism and a manifesto of rejection. A significant group within ANC, including former national secretaries and grassroots leaders, has claimed that the current leadership of the organization is leading the entity toward disunity and demoralization.

The conflict centers on the proposed reform of the statutes, which some consider a threat to ANC's unity and cross-cutting nature. They claim that the reform is being approved without the necessary consensus and without deep debate among the grassroots.

The criticisms point out that ANC, far from being unifying, has become an internal battleground that reflects the fracture of Catalan separatism. Critics fear that the lack of internal democracy and divisions will further weaken ANC, which has historically played a key role in popular mobilization in favor of separatism.