NOTHING is certain in politics but, as voters go to the polls in Catalonia this Valentine’s Day, they can be sure of one thing – there is no love lost between the pro-independence lobby and the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC).

Unlike Scotland where, until recently only the SNP and Greens supported independence, there are five Catalan parties vying for the independence vote this time round.

The main players are the Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra, ERC), whose leader Oriol Junqueras is imprisoned, and Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia, JxCat), led by exiled former president, now MEP Carles Puigdemont.

In 2017, pro-independence parties upset then Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who had called a snap election, by holding their absolute majority in the Catalan Parliament, winning 70 seats in the 135-seat body – despite the right-wing, pro-union Citizen’s Party being the single biggest winner with 36 seats.

Since then JxCat and ERC have governed with backing from the left-wing Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP). Other pro-independence parties standing in today’s election are the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDECat), and the citizen movement Primaries Catalunya.

Pere Aragones is ERC’s presidential candidate and has been acting Catalan president since last September. He was vice-president when Quim Torra was removed from office by the justiciary for refusing to order the removal from public buildings of yellow ribbons – signs of support for the jailed independence leaders – during the 2019 general election campaign.

In an exclusive interview, Aragones told The Sunday National he was confident the result would go their way: “We’ve been working, especially in the most critical areas of the government such as economy, finance, the Ministry of Education and the Health Ministry.

“So, we are prepared for the next term. And we hope that there will be a majority in Catalonia, a pro-independence majority in terms of parliamentary seats but also a majority in the popular vote, and a vast majority in favour of the independence referendum.”

READ MORE: Pro-independence Junts on course to win Catalan Parliament election

He appreciates that Esquerra may have to continue working with JxCat and other smaller independence parties and there is a certain amount of unity amongst them, especially in their dislike of the Socialists – who are in power in Spain with backing from the left-wing, anti-austerity Podemos.

During this campaign Aragones has consistently said he will not enter into any agreement with the PSC and, on Thursday, his party and the others supporting independence, signed a document pledging that “in no case will the formation of a government be agreed with the PSC, whatever the correlation of forces arising from the urns [ballot boxes]”.

“We need in the next term, a solid majority in the parliament,” said Aragones. “This term we didn’t have a majority in the parliament, because Junts and Esquerra were a minority. For this solid majority I call also for the support from the CUP and for the support of the people from the Catalan branch of Podemos ... so this government doesn’t change at all.”

There are some differences between the two main independence parties, most notably in their approach to a referendum.

Esquerra has been more conciliatory towards the Spanish Government, while JxCat’s presidential candidate Laura Borràs, has pledged to reactivate the unilateral declaration of independence that precipitated Spain’s imposition of direct rule on Catalonia after the 2017 indyref. Aragones said that while their tactics may differ, both wanted the same result: “We have 90 years of history. We’ve been a left-wing republican party for many years. Junts are not ideologically left-wing, they are a liberal party, but apart from that, our proposal is a self-determination referendum … supported not only by citizens in Catalonia, also for people who perhaps do not agree with independence, but they want Catalonia to have the right to decide its political future and its future as a free society.

“And we think that this idea of a referendum not only tactically, but also strategically gives us the prospect of having a higher majority in favour of independence.”

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez has rebuffed any request to talk about self-determination, but Aragones said the Spanish powers only change their political position “when they are forced to do so”, a tactic that worked after the 2018 poll: “In that election Esquerra Republicana won the majority of the popular vote. And with this democratic force, we forced the Spanish government to accept that first there is a political conflict between Spain and Catalonia. Second, we must start the political negotiation and the result of this must be put in a referendum, and the people of Catalonia have the right to decide that.

“So, this is a point to start the negotiation with the Spanish government, but I want to be clear – the negotiation is possible only if there’s one result – a referendum.”

Scottish independence supporters need only substitute “Sanchez” with “Johnson” for intransigence that is all too familiar, but for Aragones, Scotland’s is the road to follow: “For us, Scotland is an example on a route to independence, because the Scottish Government is seen from Catalonia as a government that is pro-independence, but also a progressive one that has brought to the citizens of Scotland a more equal society, equality of opportunities, and a more solid welfare state.

“And we think putting together social justice and independence is the way to reach a vast majority in Scotland – or Catalonia – in favour of the government.

“So, in this sense the Scottish Government is important to us.”