Pilar Vallugera, the ERC Deputy in Conflict With the Leadership and Now Under Scrutiny

ERC Deputy Pilar Vallugera has been accused of workplace harassment by former party deputies in the Congress of Deputies. They speak of shouting, disrespect, and pressure regarding maternity leave. Oriol Junqueras has apologized after the scandal was uncovered, and the party has opened a file to investigate the facts.

Pilar Vallugera is surprised by the accusations and claims to be unaware of such attitudes. The complaint brings to light the internal division in Esquerra, also in the parliamentary group in Madrid. Vallugera aligns with Teresa Jordà's group, opposed to Gabriel Rufián's, and supported the alternative candidacy to Oriol Junqueras in November.

Facing the Leadership

There is no doubt that the deputy now accused of harassment is a free spirit within the ERC group in Congress. She follows the party line on issues such as housing, taxes, and social policies. However, she shows discrepancies on topics like Palestine or government agreements with the PSC.

Although Pilar Vallugera's greatest challenge to the leadership was her explicit support for Xavier Godàs's candidacy at the November congress. Vallugera aligned with fellow Congress deputy Teresa Jordà. They thus oppose Gabriel Rufián, who is Junqueras's strongman in Madrid.

Hence, the first suspicions of an orchestrated campaign against the dissident deputy now appear. "This is the price of not kneeling before Junqueras," they point out on X. Messages like this coincide with others from Republican activists ashamed of this new scandal in an organization adrift.

Against the Trans Law and Pro-Israel

One of the complainants is Carolina Telechea, Gabriel Rufián's right-hand in Congress in the previous legislature. The other is Maria Dantas, who accuses Vallugera of having aggressively challenged her over her defense of the trans law. This has led pro-trans sectors within Esquerra to accuse Pilar Vallugera of being transphobic.

The complainant claims that Vallugera told her "you have Rufián and Telechea, but I have feminism." The tension around the law highlights the internal fracture, not only due to organizational disputes but also ideological differences.

In 2023, after the conflict in Gaza erupted, Pillar Vallugera publicly showed her affinity toward Israel on X. Shortly after, she closed her account on the social network. This led to rumors about alleged pressures from the leadership headed by Rufián to force her to close her profile on X.

The differences between Vallugera and Rufián became even more evident last summer. In the midst of the debate on Salvador Illa's investiture, the deputy publicly opposed making a pact with the PSC. She thus broke with the discipline of the rest of the deputies and senators, but above all, she challenged Rufián, the architect of the alliance with the PSOE.

Controversial Deputy

Nevertheless, Vallugera remained a heavyweight within the parliamentary group in Congress. Notably, she headed the Justice Commission, which among other things negotiated the amnesty law with the Government. She has also been prominent in defending issues such as housing or the tax on energy companies, key in the Republican agenda.

Furthermore, according to the complainants, the party did not act diligently and would have covered up for the deputy at least until now. This indicates that despite her differences with the leadership, the deputy remained important and had the party's protection.

There is no doubt that Pilar Vallugera is a politician with character and often prone to controversy. She called for pursuing Catalans who buy a home to rent out, and with a salary of nearly 100,000 euros a year, she claimed to have trouble finding an apartment.