Alex Trelinski
THE minority Pedro Sanchez government has suffered a setback with the right-wing Catalan separatist party, Junts per Catalunya, suspending its ‘relationship’ with the administration.
Sanchez’s socialist-led coalition needs support from small regional parties to get new measures through Congress which includes trying to get a 2025 budget passed.
The Junts president, Carles Puigdemont, who led an illegal Catalan independence referendum in 2017, spoke at a news conference in Brussels on Friday.
READ MORE:
- Carles Puigdemont ‘is already back in Belgium’ after brief return to Spain from exile
- Watch: Footage of Carles Puigdemont ‘walking freely’ through the streets of Barcelona sparks outrage online – as police manhunt continues
- Mossos d’Esquadra admit ‘mistakes’ after Carles Puigdemont fled Spain: Leaked report reveals police drone turned away at key moment of Catalan separatist’s escape from Barcelona
He has lived in Belgium for the last eight years to avoid prosecution in Spain, but ‘sneaked’ back for a quick visit last August.
“The budget will not be negotiated. If there are decrees or legislative initiatives, they should not come looking for us,” he declared.
Junts believe promises have been broken after backing Sanchez to continue as Prime Minister in an investiture vote in November 2023 following an inconclusive general election result.
Puigdemont has now demanded a meeting with Sanchez in Switzerland to examine the level of compliance over what had been agreed 14 months ago.
He said negotiations would include the transfer of rights over handling immigration matters to Catalunya, rather than nationally; more on the political recognition of amnesty; and the official status of the Catalan language in the EU.
Puigdemont said: “We are not in the business of saying ‘no’ to everything but we want talk about issues that affect Catalunya.”
How far Junts are prepared to go in possibly bringing down the Sanchez government is an open question.
Supporting or opposing new laws is a different matter from joining a censure motion and possibly forcing an election if other groups can’t form a government.
Junts has rejected the censure option, even though the conservative Partido Popular and the far-right Vox party want one and even opened the door this week for Junts to join them.
