The context of the congratulation
Vicente Barrera, first vice president and Minister of Culture and Sports of the Generalitat Valenciana, has responded to the congratulations of the Catalan Countries festival by Josep Rull, president of the Parliament of Catalonia. Barrera has shared a screenshot of Rull’s congratulations on his Twitter profile and has taken the opportunity to deny the existence of the Països Catalans and describe Rull as a coup plotter.
In his response, Barrera has compared the existence of the Catalan Countries with the existence of Narnia, making reference to the famous literary work. Furthermore, he has reaffirmed the existence of the Spanish nation and the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the Valencian Community.
Josep Rull’s answer
Josep Rull has responded to Barrera’s tweet, describing his comment as low level and has expressed his desire to remain calm.
Vicente Barrera’s insistence
In response to Rull’s response, Barrera has insisted on his position and stated that no matter how much Rull counts up to 100 or even more, the Països Catalans will still not exist. Furthermore, he has sent greetings to Rull as a compatriot.
Vicente Barrera’s file
The Central Electoral Board has decided to open disciplinary proceedings against Vicente Barrera for breaking institutional neutrality by making criticisms during a press conference. This decision was taken following a complaint filed by the socialists, who considered that Barrera’s statements had electoralist connotations.
The Central Electoral Board has supported the socialists’ complaint and has indicated that Barrera’s statements were not neutral, but included criticism of the Government of the Nation and other political formations.
