Separatists help Sánchez to re-election
The socialist Sánchez remains in office as Prime Minister of Spain for another four years. He is organizing a majority for his re-election with a controversial deal. This could ensure that the former Catalan regional president Puigdemont could even return from exile.
Socialist Pedro Sánchez has been re-elected head of government of Spain with the support of Catalan independence supporters. In the vote in parliament in Madrid, Sánchez achieved an absolute majority of 179 out of 350 votes, according to parliamentary president Francina Armengol. The decisive factor in Sánchez's re-election was the support of two Catalan parties, to whom he promised an amnesty law for Catalan independence supporters.
The parliamentary session took place under extreme tension. The conservatives (PP) and the extreme right-wing party Vox are accusing Sánchez of breaking the law because of the promised amnesty law. Tens of thousands of right-wing supporters have been taking to the streets across the country in protest for weeks.
Massive protests in Madrid
Although PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo won the election in July, he was unable to secure a majority as head of government. Sánchez from the Socialist Party, on the other hand, was able to organize a majority for himself together with the left-wing alliance Sumar as well as the Catalan and Basque regional parties and a few other MPs.
The amnesty is intended to benefit in particular those activists who were prosecuted by the Spanish justice system following Catalonia's failed secession from Spain in 2017. This would also benefit the former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, who could return to Spain after years in exile.
In view of the massive protests, the police in Madrid increased their presence: In Madrid, more than 1600 members of the security forces were posted around the completely sealed-off parliament on Wednesday and Thursday - a similar large-scale deployment is usually only seen at high-risk soccer matches.
Despite the intense protests and allegations of lawbreaking by conservative and right-wing parties, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was successfully re-elected with support from Catalan independence parties. These parties agreed to support Sánchez in exchange for an amnesty law that could potentially allow former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont to return from exile.
Source: www.ntv.de
