Illa Says Buying Witnesses Attacks Democracy Before Nov. 29 Vote

Catalan president Salvador Illa said on Thursday that paying for testimony against Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, amounts to an attack on the rules of democracy. He spoke at a meeting of Socialist mayors in Barcelona, three weeks and a few days before Spain’s general election on Nov. 29.

His remarks followed published reports about a statement by Koldo García, a former ministerial adviser now in prison. García says he agreed with the Partido Popular’s lawyer to have his legal costs covered and to receive a million euros in exchange for information. The PP’s national leadership told El Periódico the claim is “absolutely false.”

What Koldo García says happened

According to El Periódico, García stated from jail that the lawyer who until now represented the PP (Spain’s main conservative party) in the corruption cases touching the government and the PSOE (Sánchez’s Socialist party) agreed to pay for his defense. The same lawyer, by García’s account, would also pay him a million euros more through the company that publishes a news outlet, in return for information meant to bring down the prime minister.

Europa Press described the claim as an alleged pact between García and the PP’s lawyer. No court has ruled on it, and the PP denies it.

Illa’s message to PSC mayors

Illa is president of the Generalitat (Catalonia’s regional government) and first secretary of the PSC, the Catalan branch of the Socialists. He addressed the party’s Consell d’Alcaldes i Alcaldesses (council of mayors) at PSC headquarters in Barcelona.

He repeated that parties and politicians are not all the same and said the Socialists must defend the whole truth. According to El Periódico, he admitted there had been “errors” in the party while saying responsibility had been taken for them.

Illa asked mayors to campaign hard in their towns, explain the party’s proposals and warn voters about what is at stake. He pointed to the housing policies Socialist mayors have rolled out, which he called “pioneering,” as the party’s main source of credibility. He also listed climate change, artificial intelligence, demographic change and pensions among the challenges ahead.

Tech platforms and campaign tone

Comparing Spain with recent elections in the United States, Brazil and Israel, Illa said technology platforms play a large role and are not neutral. He argued that the power of a single vote outweighs the power of money.

He urged Socialists to argue with force but without insults, saying respectful politics can win elections. In his view no miracle is needed for his party to keep governing after Nov. 29, only work and explaining to people what the vote decides.

What’s at stake in Catalonia, according to Illa

Illa said self-government is especially on the line in Catalonia. He cited the PP’s decision not to field Senate candidates in the provinces of Tarragona and Girona after an agreement with Vox, the far-right party led by Santiago Abascal. Illa said the two parties want to eliminate Catalan self-government.

He also warned, as reported by El Periódico, that the election could put the Spanish government in the hands of the PP and Vox, whose approach he described as authoritarian.

What happens next

Spain votes in a general election on Nov. 29. Residents who hold Spanish citizenship will choose members of the Congress and the Senate, including the Senate seats for Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona and Lleida. The claims made by García are part of the wider Koldo case, which remains in the courts.

Sources: Europa Press, El Periódico