Sanchez has negotiated a controversial majority
Spain's head of government Sanchez is facing another term in office. However, the price for this is high and the consequences for the country are not yet foreseeable. To achieve a majority, the 51-year-old had to reach an agreement with the separatists - and pardon one of their leading figures, Puigdemont, who lives in exile.
In Spain, four weeks after the parliamentary elections, the way is clear for the formation of a new government with the help of Catalan separatists. The caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez can count on the votes of the Basque nationalist party PNV, as the party declared. This gives the 51-year-old a majority in the 350-member parliament. A government is expected to be formed in the coming days. The conservative opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo had previously failed with his project of a government alliance between his Partido Popular (PP) and the right-wing populist Vox.
The previous day, Sanchez's socialist PSOE had agreed to cooperate with the Catalan Junts party in return for an amnesty for around 1,400 convicted separatists. The former head of government in Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, would also benefit from a remission of sentence. The Junts politician, who lives in exile in Belgium, declared that he would talk to the Socialists about a new referendum on Catalonia's independence.
Amnesty highly controversial in the country
The PSOE had already agreed to cooperate with the Catalan separatist party ERC at the beginning of November. Observers fear that Spain is facing a new phase of political instability. Sanchez has formed a coalition with the left-wing Sumar. However, he needs the support of other smaller parties to be confirmed as head of government. Sanchez has been prime minister since 2018 and has led a minority government since 2020.
The planned amnesty is highly controversial in the country and in the EU. In a survey conducted in September, around 70% of respondents were against it - 59% of whom were Socialist supporters. In addition, the highest supervisory body of the Spanish judiciary, the Consejo General del Poder Judicial, has expressed massive reservations about the project. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders also supports this line and has already informed the government in Madrid of this.
Puigdemont is at the center of the criticism. He declared Catalonia independent in 2017 following a controversial referendum. The central government then accused him of rebellion and misappropriation of public funds. The Constitutional Court saw a breach of the constitution. The Catalan regional government was disempowered by the central government and Puigdemont was declared a wanted person. He then fled the country.
In negotiating the majority, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez granted a pardon to Catalonian separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who live in exile. Despite living in Belgium, Puigdemont expressed interest in discussing a new referendum on Catalonia's independence with the Socialists.
Source: www.ntv.de
