In Spain, the formation of a government is getting closer: Prime Minister Sánchez has reached an agreement with the Catalan separatists and can therefore count on the support of another party for his minority coalition.
It depended on a few small parties, but now caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is gradually gathering enough support to form a government. The socialist PSOE has reached an agreement with the Catalan separatist party Junts. A delicate condition for cooperation: amnesty for convicted separatists.
After the parliamentary elections in July, the Socialists formed a coalition with the left-wing Sumar, but Sánchez is dependent on the support of other smaller parties to be confirmed in office. At the beginning of November, the PSOE concluded an agreement with the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC).
Another agreement is still pending, with the Basque nationalist party PNV. The newspaper “El Pais” writes that the negotiations are at an advanced stage and that an agreement is about to be signed.
Not enough support for conservatives
Sánchez has been in office since 2018 and has led a minority government since 2020. The last election led to an unclear majority in the Spanish parliament. The conservative PP became the strongest force, and opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo was appointed by King Felipe VI. initially tasked with forming a government. However, Feijóo failed to get enough supporters behind him. The king then commissioned Sánchez to form a government at the beginning of October.
Amnesty for separatists is controversial
If Sánchez does not achieve a majority in parliament by November 27th, Spain will automatically have to hold new elections in mid-January.
The planned amnesty law is highly controversial in Spain and has already sparked violent protests, including in the capital Madrid. The conservative opposition, the far-right Vox party and members of the Spanish judiciary accused Sánchez of corruption and abandoning the rule of law.
Puigdemont would be the most prominent beneficiary
The former head of the Catalan government, Carles Puigdemont, would also benefit from the amnesty. The Junts politician declared Catalonia independent in 2017 after a controversial referendum. The central government then accused him of rebellion and embezzlement of public funds. The Constitutional Court saw the Catalan’s actions as a breach of the constitution.
At that time, the Catalan regional government was stripped of its power by the central government, new elections were ordered and Puigdemont was put on a wanted list. He then went abroad, including to Germany. At the time, Sánchez had vowed to bring Puigdemont to justice.