Opposition Criticises Illa's 'Disappearance' During Blackout

Opposition groups in the Catalan Parliament have criticised the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and his government for their handling of the electric blackout. "He reacted late and was not up to the task. He hid for eight hours without saying anything," stated Josep Rius, spokesperson and vice-president of Junts. "There was no one in the engine room," claimed the nationalist leader, describing the government as "incompetent" and leaving Catalonia "exposed". Junts demands his urgent appearance in Parliament and to take responsibility for what "did not go well".

Puidgemont's party also demands that Pedro Sánchez and the president of Red Eléctrica attend Congress to account for the crisis. According to Junts, in Catalonia, it is a case of adding insult to injury, as yesterday's blackout was followed by today's in the Cercanías network, which is operating at half capacity, and the government has not ensured that the service can be fully restored by Tuesday. Junts has attacked Illa, accusing him of "weakness" and lack of leadership. The post-convergents contrast Illa's management of Monday's blackout with what they consider the handling by Carles Puigdemont during the jihadist attacks on 17 August 2017 in Barcelona and Cambrils, Quim Torra during the pandemic, or Pere Aragonès during the drought.

Esquerra, for its part, has criticised the Catalan government for providing "late information", which in its view "hindered the execution of quick responses at all levels". Similarly, the CUP has demanded that the President of the Generalitat appear before the Catalan Chamber. The CUP believes that the socialist leader should have "come out earlier" to inform the public, without waiting for the central government, for example, to report that schools were taking care of students and that hospitals had generators. "This is also the work of politicians, not just giving explanations that sometimes are not available. But to respond to exceptional situations," according to the CUP.

Illa has announced plans to provide explanations in the Catalan Chamber next week. In a statement from the Palau de la Generalitat, Illa rejected the opposition's criticisms, urging them to adopt a "positive attitude". The Catalan administration's response "was up to the task" and "satisfactory", the socialist leader noted. Illa denied hiding, stating, "I was in my office," and countered the opposition by saying the government appeared seven times between yesterday and today, boasting that he did not request the activation of the national emergency phase 3, as other regions have done. The PSC leader declared the crisis over the blackout in Catalonia "closed" and committed to ensuring that the Rodalies service, still operating at half capacity, is fully restored throughout the day. Regarding user complaints about being trapped or having to spend the night at a station, he argued that it is "very difficult" to prevent people from being trapped on trains or in stations during such exceptional situations as the blackout. Catalonia will return to full normality once the Cercanías network is completely fixed.