SPAIN: Spain’s Socialists (PSOE) should not take Catalonia’s separatist parties’ support for granted, according to a leader.
Pere Aragones, a senior member of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, emphasized the legitimacy of another vote on Catalan independence in his first interview with the UK media after the election, where neither the left nor the right gained a clear majority.
Spain’s political crisis since 1981 stemmed from the region’s unsuccessful independence attempt in 2017, including an unconstitutional referendum. Following the July 23 referendum, two parties emerged as kingmakers: ERC, which supported Pedro Sanchez’s government, and Junts, a conservative Catalan party that did not support the Socialist Prime Minister.
Sanchez, whose party opposes Catalan independence and finished second in the election, needs support from both separatist parties to form another government.
Aragones believes Sanchez must take the initiative to secure assistance. He also said that Sanchez cannot take anything for granted. Aragones, who also serves as Catalonia’s head of regional administration, believes Sanchez must earn it.
In exchange for discussions about the future of Catalonia’s political system, the ERC supported Sanchez’s investiture into parliament in 2020. The PSOE has reiterated that it will only take actions that are permitted by the constitution.
Aragones stated that the constitution of Spain is adaptable enough to discover ambiguous “legal paths” that would permit a referendum, adding that it would depend on having the “political will” to do so.
ERC wants to continue discussions, reduce the region’s financial commitment to the federal government, and take over local train services in exchange for its continued support.
Aragones believes the ERC and Junts have a great opportunity to win amnesty, a referendum, or other concessions on social, political, or economic grounds. He wants the parties to make united requests.
In addition to an amnesty for those separatists facing charges connected to the unsuccessful 2017 independence attempt, Junts is calling for a referendum on independence.
According to Aragones, the two parties’ clout may be used to win an amnesty and referendum as well as concessions on financial or cultural matters.
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