The Spanish Parliament definitively approved this Thursday (30) the amnesty bill for the separatists who attempted Catalonia’s independence in 2017 and failed. This paves the way for the return of the former president of the autonomous community Carles Puigdemont, who at the time fled to Belgium when his arrest was ordered.
The law received 177 votes in favor and 172 against in the Lower Chamber, thanks to the support of socialist deputies, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Catalan and Basque independence and nationalists and the extreme left.
Widely criticized by the opposition and the target of street protests in recent months, the agreement to pardon the separatists was crucial for Sánchez, from the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party), to obtain enough votes in Parliament to confirm a new mandate, in a session in November past. He has been in power since 2018.
The current Spanish political instability began with a significant socialist defeat in the regional elections of May 2023. Fragile, Sánchez brought the general elections forward by six months, to July 23. In this election, the center-right opposition Popular Party won, but without being able to secure the support of other parties to add 176 of the 350 deputies. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo tried to form alliances, but without success. With this, Sánchez was authorized to seek a coalition to remain in office, which he only achieved thanks to the votes of the independentists. Read more (05/30/2024 – 11:08 am)
Source: Folha
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