According to predictions, separatist parties may have defended their absolute majority in the snap parliamentary elections in the Spanish region of Catalonia. According to figures published by the TV channel RTVE on Sunday evening, the independence supporters are this time led by the liberal-conservative Junts party of ex-regional president Carles Puigdemont, who lives in exile in Belgium. The Socialist Party (PSC) finished in first place.
However, with 37 to 40 seats, the Socialists, led by top candidate Salvador Illa, who oppose the independence movement, are likely to clearly miss out on an absolute majority of 68 MPs. According to RTVE, Junts has 33 to 36 seats ahead of the separatist Republican Left (ERC) of previous regional president Pere Aragonès with 24 to 27 seats.
Together with the left-wing CUP party (6-8 seats) and the right-wing populist Alianca Catalana (1-3 seats), the independence supporters can hope for an absolute majority. Other media outlets had similar results in their predictions. In the meantime, everything points to lengthy negotiations about the formation of a government.
If these results are confirmed, Puigdemont could also try to form a second-place government. However, the 61-year-old remains in exile as he is wanted by the Spanish judiciary on an arrest warrant – in connection with the failed, illegal first attempt at secession in 2017 under his leadership. This could only be lifted if there was an agreement with the government in Madrid. The agreed amnesty is expected to come into effect in June.
The election campaign featured issues of economic and social policy, such as in Germany, rising housing costs, inflation and bureaucratic confusion. The elections were also seen as a plebiscite on the controversial amnesty for separatists. According to Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the aim is to ease the Catalan conflict and take the wind out of the separatists’ sails. If their vote share drops slightly at the end of the official count, it would be a success for Sánchez, who faces strong criticism in the rest of the country for his soft approach to Catalonia.
The separatists are not giving up and are demanding that the central government give them the green light for a legal referendum on independence. According to observers, the post-election development could also jeopardize the stability of Sánchez’s minority Spanish government, which depends on separatists’ votes in parliament in Madrid.
Critics from the conservative camp accuse Sánchez of political corruption for using the amnesty to buy the approval of separatist MPs during his re-election to parliament in Madrid last fall. He is also endangering Spain’s territorial unity by making his minority government dependent on separatists, who could then force him to agree to an independence referendum.
Catalonia was plunged into chaos in the fall of 2017 after an illegal independence referendum and a subsequent decision to secede from Spain in 2017. Puigdemont was able to flee abroad together with other members of the government. Some of the comrades-in-arms who remained in the country were sentenced to prison terms of up to thirteen years, but have since been pardoned. Catalonia continues to suffer the consequences of the chaotic divorce attempt, including political instability and business and capital flight.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
