Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is on the verge of securing another term as president after reaching a controversial agreement with Catalonia’s separatist Junts party.
Sanchez’s Socialist Party secured the support of Junts to form a government after no winner emerged in elections in July.
“Six years have passed and the conflict is still unresolved,” Cerdan told a news conference in Brussels. “Our goal is to start a new chapter… where the errors of the past are no longer obstacles to overcome.”
In 2017, separatists in Catalonia, where their party enjoys significant support, led an attempt to secede from Spain that resulted in a vote and unilateral declaration of independence. The Spanish government, which considers the move illegal, took harsh measures and began prosecuting hundreds of people – from officials such as Puigdemont to citizens – for their involvement.
And now the amnesty could exonerate up to 1,400 activists and politicians involved in the attempted secession of Catalonia from Spain.
Senior PSOE lawmaker Santos Cerdan admitted his party still has “profound disagreements” with the Junta but has put them aside in the interests of creating a “stable government” and the deal includes an agreement for a full four-year term.
The PSOE has until 27 November to form a government or new elections will automatically begin, but they lack an absolute majority of 176 seats to win the first round of voting in the 350-seat congress.
The agreement could also attract judicial scrutiny, including in the European Union. By far, Didier Reynders, the EU’s justice commissioner, has sent a request to the Spanish government for more information on the deal.
