“The recent developments are disappointing and I call on all parties to work responsibly to ensure that this law is approved,” Aragonés said in an interview with Politico in Brussels. “But I’m confident this will work out in the end.”
Yunts members withdrew their support for the bill just before the vote, saying it would protect members including de facto leader Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan president and separatist leader, from prosecution for terrorism-related crimes. He argued that it was not fully protected.
The bill’s failure would be a significant blow to Mr. Sánchez, who received key support from Mr. Juntz to form a government in exchange for promoting the amnesty bill last November.
In recent weeks, Sanchez has accepted amendments to the bill to meet secessionist lawmakers’ demands for greater protection from prosecution.
The document will now be debated again in a parliamentary committee before being voted on again by Spanish lawmakers in the coming weeks. Juntz is likely to use that time to pressure Sanchez’s minority government, which requires party support to pass virtually all legislation, to amend the text.
Aragonés, whose separatist left-wing Catalan Republican Party voted in favor of the bill, said it would benefit thousands of people who Juntz said “have been persecuted for their dedication to the Catalan independence movement.” He said he would have to explain his responsibility for the delay. ”