2023-08-17 03:11:00
The general elections in Spain have resulted in a stalemate. Although the Conservatives (PP) under Alberto Nunez Feijoo are the strongest faction, they are just as far from a majority as the previous Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his Socialist Party (PSOE).
In this situation, of all people, the Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who wanted to separate Catalonia from Spain in an illegal independence referendum in 2017, could play a central role in the formation of the Spanish government, because to get a majority in the Madrid parliament, both the conservatives and the the socialists the voices of the separatists.
Too much power
Scramble for parliamentary presidency
Both the Conservatives and the Socialists want to win the presidency of the House of Commons today so that they can go into the government negotiations or look for parliamentary supporters with more strength. Because with the parliamentary presidency, you can make parliamentary concessions to other parties – a good starting point for negotiations.
But this requires the support of regional, partly separatist groups, such as the Basque nationalists (PNV) and separatists (EH Bildu), but also the two Catalan separatist parties ERC and Junts.
The Basque left-separatists have already pledged their support for a left-wing government without making any political demands in order to prevent a right-wing conservative government. The moderate Basque nationalists are demanding more funding for their region and the presidency of parliament in order to gain more political power. They are offering their votes to both Conservatives and Socialists at that price.
The ERC left-wing separatists ruling in Catalonia are calling for more political dialogue between Madrid and Barcelona in order to get the stalled independence process moving again. In addition, they also want seats in the parliamentary presidency in order to be able to exert more political pressure. Demands to which the socialists might agree. The votes of the left-wing Republicans, who also supported the left-wing minority government in the past legislative period, should not be a major problem.
Especially with a view to the Catalan separatist parties ERC and Junts, whose votes Sanchez needs and who can no longer form their own groups after the elections due to the loss of votes, it is important for the Socialists to get the parliamentary presidency today. You could thus grant both formations the desired faction, of course taking into account considerations.
Arrest warrant still in place
Whether that’s enough for Junts’ conservative separatists remains to be seen. The formation left it to their unofficial party leader, Carles Puigdemont, to decide. This puts the governability of Spain in the hands of a separatist who wants to split Spain.
Just last week, the Constitutional Court rejected Puigdemont’s appeal against the international arrest warrant issued by Spain for the separatist leader. After the illegal independence referendum in 2017, Puigdemont fled to Brussels as the main person responsible from the Spanish judiciary, where he sits in the EU Parliament this year. However, as soon as he sets foot on Spanish soil, he runs the risk of being arrested.
His party announced the first demands for its approval of a socialist government: an independence referendum negotiated with Madrid and a general amnesty for those responsible for the illegal referendum. Sanchez refused. Now the new demands of Puigdemont remain to be seen.
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