The Socialist Party received the most votes in the Spanish regional elections, surpassing the Catalan parties, according to Spanish media.
However, with 42 seats, the Socialist Party is still well short of the 68-seat majority needed to form a government in the regional parliament. Socialist candidate and former Spanish Health Minister, Salvador Illa, declared “a new era” for the Catalans.
This opens a new era for all Catalan residents — whatever they think, whatever language they speak and wherever they come from.
While the left-wing parties won a majority with 68 seats, the overall political landscape in Catalonia shifted from the independence movement to national-oriented ones. The Socialist Party’s representation increased by nine seats compared to the last election in 2021. This is due to political concessions to Catalonia, such as a political amnesty from the Spanish central government.
However, the conservative Popular Party made a sharp rise, gaining 15 seats instead of three. The Vox party won the same 11 seats, whereas the Sumar/Comunes party lost two seats. The liberal party Cuidadanos withdrew from the Spanish regional elections.
The national-oriented Alianca Catalana party won its first two seats. The Junts party, led by Carles Puigdemont, was the only major Catalan faction to gain any seats, securing three more.
We need a good government that wakes up Catalonia with a jolt and gets it going again, that turns it into a country proud of itself, that recovers its self-esteem and that raises a better country with more and better opportunities for everyone.
Like Spain’s national parliament, highly fragmented Catalonia’s parliament faces an uncertain future. In his speech, Puigdemont called on the ERC to find a way to “build a solid government whose obedience is purely to Catalonia.”
This Sunday, every pro-independence vote that does not reach the polls will be facilitating a government presided over by a person in charge of Moncloa who will always prioritize Spain over Catalonia.
Negotiations on regional governance could easily become a national issue, as Catalan parties also support Spain’s progressive minority coalition government led by the Socialists.
Less than a month before the European Parliament elections, the vote is shifting towards national-oriented parties. The Socialists, although, continue to dominate with the support of like-minded regional parties.
