Push hard, but do not break the table
En el delicado momento en que el independentismo catalán debe decidir si sostiene o derrumba una investidura, Artur Mas emerge como voz de la prudencia estratégica: recordándole a Puigdemont que la fuerza negociadora no se mide por la disposición a romper, sino por la sabiduría de saber hasta dónde empujar. Es una lección antigua sobre el arte del poder —que la intransigencia, disfrazada de principio, puede convertirse en la mayor debilidad de un movimiento.
- Mas advierte que el independentismo se juega su posición en una negociación donde el miedo a nuevas elecciones puede ser tan peligroso como la temeridad de provocarlas.
- La investidura de Sánchez se convierte en campo de tensión donde Junts y ERC tienen poder de veto, pero también el riesgo de quedar como responsables de un bloqueo que los debilite.
- Mas desplaza la carga moral y política hacia el PSOE: son los socialistas quienes deben tomar la iniciativa y asumir la complejidad real de su situación, no los partidos catalanes.
- El movimiento soberanista arrastra la herida de su propia fragmentación, y Mas llama a reconstruir la coordinación estratégica que hace seis o siete años le daba peso colectivo.
- La sombra del espionaje con Pegasus planea sobre la relación entre Mas y Puigdemont, obligándoles a reservar las conversaciones más sensibles para el cara a cara, lejos de los teléfonos.
Artur Mas ha irrumpido en el debate sobre la investidura de Pedro Sánchez con un mensaje calibrado para Carles Puigdemont: ser exigente, sí, pero no intransigente. Hablando en Catalunya Ràdio a finales de julio, el expresidente catalán trazó una línea clara entre ejercer presión negociadora y destruir la mesa de negociación.
Mas reconoció que Puigdemont no debería temer unas nuevas elecciones —el miedo debilita cualquier posición negociadora— pero advirtió que provocarlas deliberadamente como demostración de fuerza sería un error estratégico que terminaría dañando al independentismo más que beneficiándolo.
El verdadero problema, según Mas, no reside en la firmeza de los partidos independentistas sino en la falta de claridad del PSOE. Colocó la responsabilidad de resolver el bloqueo directamente sobre los socialistas: es Madrid quien debe tomar la iniciativa, no Barcelona. Junts ni ERC son los que deben cargar con el peso del desenlace.
Mas también lamentó la fragmentación interna del movimiento soberanista. Hace seis o siete años, recordó, los distintos partidos independentistas compartían un marco estratégico común que les otorgaba peso colectivo. Esa coordinación se ha erosionado, y Mas abogó por reconstruirla.
En cuanto a su relación con Puigdemont, Mas confirmó que habían intercambiado mensajes, aunque aún no se habían visto en persona. Para asuntos de verdadera importancia, dijo, tomaría un avión. Con un guiño al escándalo del espionaje con Pegasus que ambos han sufrido, dejó claro que un teléfono móvil no siempre es el canal más seguro para conversaciones delicadas.
Artur Mas, the former president of Catalonia, has stepped into the delicate negotiations over Pedro Sánchez's investiture with a carefully calibrated message for his successor in the independence movement: push hard, but do not break the table. Speaking on Catalunya Ràdio on a Monday in late July, Mas urged Carles Puigdemont, now a European Parliament member and leader of the Junts party, to be demanding rather than rigid as he negotiates with the Socialist Party over whether to support Sánchez's bid to remain in office.
The distinction Mas drew was precise. There is a difference, he suggested, between wielding leverage and wielding a wrecking ball. Yes, Puigdemont should not fear the prospect of new elections—fear weakens your hand at the negotiating table. But neither should he stumble into calling new elections as a show of strength. That would be recklessness, Mas said, a move that would ultimately damage the independence movement's position rather than strengthen it.
What struck Mas as the central problem was not the independence parties' resolve but the Socialists' clarity of purpose. He placed the ultimate responsibility for resolving the investiture squarely on the PSOE's shoulders, not on Junts or the other major independence party, ERC. The Socialists, he argued, needed to take the initiative themselves and come to grips with the genuine difficulty of the situation they faced. In other words: the ball was in Madrid's court, not Barcelona's.
Mas also sounded a note about the fractured state of Catalonia's independence movement. Six or seven years earlier, he recalled, the various pro-independence parties had operated from a shared strategic framework—a unified approach that gave them collective weight. That coordination had frayed. Mas suggested it was time to rebuild it, to restore the kind of common purpose that had once defined the movement.
The two men had been in contact, Mas noted. They had exchanged messages, though they had not yet sat down face to face. When serious matters needed discussion, Mas said, he would get on a plane and go see Puigdemont in person. He made a wry reference to the Pegasus spyware scandal that had touched both their lives—a reminder that a mobile phone was not always the safest channel for sensitive conversation. The comment underscored both the stakes of their negotiations and the lingering distrust that surveillance had left in its wake.
Notable Quotes
Do not fear new elections, because that weakens your negotiating power, but do not make the mistake of actually calling them.— Artur Mas, in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio
The ultimate responsibility for the negotiation does not rest with Junts or ERC—it rests with the Socialists, who must take the initiative and understand the difficulty.— Artur Mas
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Mas think Puigdemont might be tempted to call new elections in the first place?
Because threatening elections is the most visible way to show strength. It's the nuclear option. But Mas is saying that option costs more than it gains—it signals desperation rather than confidence.
And why does he shift responsibility to the PSOE?
Because the Socialists are the ones who need the votes. Junts and ERC are in a position to demand things. If the Socialists want investiture, they have to move first, have to show they understand what they're asking for.
What does he mean by restoring a unified strategy among independence parties?
That the movement has lost coherence. When they acted together, they had real leverage. Now they're fractured, each party negotiating separately. Mas is saying that weakness is self-inflicted.
Why mention Pegasus and the need to meet in person?
It's a signal that this conversation matters too much for phones. But it's also a reminder of why trust is so fragile—the state has spied on these men. That history shapes how they communicate now.
Does Mas think Sánchez will actually be invested?
He's not saying. He's saying the outcome depends on whether the Socialists take the negotiation seriously and whether the independence parties stay unified. Those are the variables he's focused on.