Agreement reached with the Catalan separatists to govern in Spain

Sumar, which is an alliance of the Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) and small left-wing parties, reached an agreement with other parties to form a minority coalition government, on the condition that an amnesty be granted to the Catalan separatists after the first General Elections held on July 23 in Spain.

PSOE leader and current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was appointed by King Felipe VI of Spain to form a government on October 3, is expected to ask parliament for a vote of confidence next week for the left-wing minority coalition government. .

The PSOE, which is the main partner of the possible coalition, has closed agreements with other political parties to provide external support for the formation of a government in exchange for an amnesty for approximately 400 Catalan separatists who were convicted or whose trials are ongoing due to to the pro-independence process in Catalonia.

The Union for Catalonia (Junts) party, led by Carles Puigdemont, former head of the autonomous government of Catalonia who escaped the Spanish judiciary and lives in Belgium as a European parliamentarian, today reached an agreement with the PSOE after tough negotiations.

THE RIGHT-RIGHT PARTIES WERE ON THE STREET

While the PSOE has 121 deputies and Sumar has 31 deputies in Spain’s 350-seat Parliament, these parties will guarantee the parliamentary majority of 176 needed to form a government, with external support from Catalan, Basque and Galician separatist political parties.

The PSOE-Sumar minority coalition will be formed by ERC (7) and Junts (7) from Catalonia, Eh Bildu (6) and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV-5) from Euskadi, and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG-1) from Galicia. With external support the figure of 178 in parliament will be reached.

On the other hand, the right-wing Popular Party (PP-137 deputies), which is the main party in Spain, and the far-right Vox (33 deputies), who are firmly opposed to a possible amnesty while negotiations between Catalans and the PSOE move forward , calls on the Spanish to go out to the squares to demonstrate.

In the demonstrations held during the last week in front of PSOE buildings throughout the country, initiated by far-right groups, there were clashes between police and protesters, which resulted in injuries and arrests.

Arguing that a possible amnesty would bring “uncertainty, instability and economic crisis to Spain” and that “democracy is wounded”, the PP will organize a new demonstration throughout the country on November 12.

The amnesty for Catalan separatists is also opposed by prosecutors and judges who are ideologically close to the right in Spain and to the judicial institutions where they are the majority. (AA)