Carles Puigdemont, Junts president, has severed ties with Yolanda Díaz after the Sumar leader labeled his party 'racist' and 'clasista' in a radio interview. The clash comes as Sumar seeks Junts' votes to save a rent price cap extension decree, which the Catalan party rejects alongside PP and Vox. Junts has suspended relations with Sumar until Díaz retracts her words.
Yolanda Díaz, Spain's second deputy prime minister and Sumar leader, stated in an interview on Onda Cero's Más de Uno that Junts has 'always' been a 'racist' and 'clasista' party. 'I know perfectly well who Junts is,' she said, distancing herself from the Catalan independence party. She also noted that neither Junts nor the PNV are part of the progressive bloc.
The comments drew an immediate response from Carles Puigdemont, who accused Díaz of 'moral baseness' and ignorance of Junts voters. 'Next time, ask the PP to make you vice president,' the former Catalan president ironized, bidding her 'bon vent'—a Catalan ironic farewell. Junts sources said they have suspended relations with Sumar until Díaz retracts.
The backdrop is the upcoming Congress vote on the decree extending rent price caps for 2026 and 2027. Junts, with its seven MPs, aligns with PP and Vox to reject it and has proposed its own 15% IRPF tax deduction for rent or mortgages. Sumar, through Verónica Barbero and Ernest Urtasun's contacts, seeks support, but Díaz remained optimistic and urged citizens to defend their rights if it fails.
Díaz justified Pedro Sánchez's 2023 investiture by a agreed program, denying Junts' inclusion in a progressive bloc. Puigdemont criticized the Spanish stereotype linking Catalan identity to right-wing bourgeoisie.
