Gabriel Rufián: 'I ask that we make the most of the time we have left here'

Not even Gabriel Rufián trusts President Pedro Sánchez's government to continue anymore. ERC's leader in Congreso de los Diputados has appeared very pessimistic after leaving his meeting with the President. The meeting is part of President Pedro Sánchez's round of talks with his partners to assess the stability of the Executive.

Gabriel Rufián admits he saw "a shaken President," and has hinted that the legislative term is exhausted. He has even asked the other "left-wing" parties to "make the most of the time we have left here, whatever time we have left."

For Rufián, "we need to try to leave people with the best possible situation for a decent life." His words suggest that he himself doesn't see a way out of the current crisis. "I don't know how much time we have left," he reiterated, "I think we need to make the most of the time."

President Pedro Sánchez's partners had shown reservations about his continuity after the alleged corruption case affecting PSOE. Until now, no one has spoken as forcefully as Gabriel Rufián. It's also significant that he is the one saying it, since he has proven to be the government's most reliable and unconditional partner.

The toughest Rufián against Sánchez

Even ERC has changed its strategy in recent hours. Although they initially supported PSOE by denouncing a campaign from the far-right judiciary and media, in the end they had no choice but to show a tough stance. Now, both Esquerra and Junts are trying to take advantage of PSOE's crisis to tighten the screws on President Pedro Sánchez.

The Republicans have called for speeding up the timeline for the Catalan Treasury, and Junts has demanded guarantees for the fulfillment of agreements. Now that the ship is sinking, the government's partners are taking the opportunity to get as much as they can from Sánchez.

Rufián staged ERC's change of tone this morning, during the government's control session. He warned President Pedro Sánchez that they won't tolerate another corruption case like Gürtel, even if it comes from PSOE. He hinted that Esquerra could bring down the government so that citizens can decide.

"Don't force us to choose between corrupt people," he exclaimed, "the left can't steal." He proposed to Sánchez that he appear in the case against his former general secretaries. "Don't make us choose between low-level corrupt people and premium corrupt people, because in the end we'll make people decide, then don't blame us."