Palma de Majorca.The President offered an olive branch to regional opposition parties yesterday, saying that he was prepared to work to reach agreements and pacts with parties of different political colours, as long as their approach was constructive and responsible.
Bauzà said he felt that such willingness to work together for the good of the region was something that Balearic citizens had a right to expect, adding that he was aware that people were tired of seeing what he described as Punch and Judy politics.
The Partido Popular (PP) President's comments came yesterday in reply to a question from Francina Armengol, leader of the Socialist group in Parliament. She had accused Bauzà of adopting a style of government which ruled through imposition, without dialogue with other parties - and with one exception - had failed to consult the opposition over the current economic crisis.
Addressing Armengol, the President said: We see each other every Tuesday in Parliament. It's never too late for us to pick up issues on which we can work jointly.
I'm at your disposal, he said to the Socialist leader.
But Armengol insisted that it was Bauzà who would have to make the first move for cross-party talks.
She claimed that the President had fled from pacting over strategies to make the Balearic Islands more competitive and that he had allegedly made no attempt to establish policies that drew large businesses and unions together. Armengol said that the President's olive branch was all the more difficult to accept, particularly as he had made such a point when he had first become President of seeking consensus with social organisations. An absolute majority does not mean that the ruling party can have carte blanche, Armengol said.