Spain’s coalition government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, suffered a setback after a controversial bill aimed at granting amnesty to Catalan separatists failed to pass in the lower house of parliament.
This hugely divisive law, proposed by Sanchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), This was a condition for support for a coalition government led by hardline Catalan separatists as prime minister, but passing the bill relies on a patchwork of political parties.
The proposed bill would provide legal protection against hundreds of Catalan activists under investigation or on trial for their role in Catalonia’s 2017 attempt to declare independence, particularly ousted separatist leader Carles Puigdemont. This will likely prevent the measures being taken.
The bill will now go back to a parliamentary committee and could eventually be sent back to the House for a second vote.
Why is this bill so controversial?
The law had the support of Basque political parties as well as the far-left Schmal party.
However, it was Puigdemont’s own political party, Jants per Catalunya (JxCat), who withdrew their support for the bill.
Separatist parties said the bill does not ensure that all exceptions related to terrorism will be removed from the bill. Some of the party’s politicians are under court investigation for suspected terrorism-related crimes.
“This document is a good starting point… but there are holes that Spain’s biased judicial system can exploit to undermine the pardon,” XXSCat lawmaker Miriam Nogueras told parliament.
Sánchez said he could not have formed a government without the support of Catalans, adding that right-wing populists could have won the most seats in the 2023 elections and taken power.
But the law could pave the way for the return of Mr. Puigdemont, who went into exile in Belgium after leading an illegal secession bid that brought the country to the brink.
Tens of thousands of people protested in Madrid on Sunday, calling on the government to refuse to pass the bill.
Puigdemont and the issue of Catalonia’s independence are unpopular with many Spaniards, and the amnesty bill has infuriated conservatives and far-right opposition parties, which make up about half of the country’s population.
At the weekend, in front of 45,000 demonstrators in central Madrid, Alberto Nuñez Feijú of the right-wing opposition Popular Party (PP) said that Sanchez was a separatist who wanted to split Spain in exchange for power. Mr. Feijoo called this the “worst version”. of power. “
mr/wmr (Reuters, AFP)