Spain Catalonia's separatists and socialists agree on government

The leaderships of the left-wing Catalan separatist party ERC and the Socialists of Spain's head of government Pedro Sánchez have reached an agreement in principle on the formation of a new regional government in Barcelona.

ERC spokesperson Raquel Sans announced this to the media in the evening. This means that Salvador Illa, whose Socialists became the strongest force in the regional parliament with 42 seats in the early regional elections on May 12, could become the new head of Catalonia's regional government. This would make Illa the first politician in this office for a long time to oppose the secession of the wealthy region in north-eastern Spain.

However, the agreement still has to be approved by the ERC's grassroots. The consultation is due to take place on Friday. If the agreement is rejected, a new election would have to be held.

The second largest separatist party, Junts, led by exiled former head of government Carles Puigdemont, had spoken out against the agreement. The politician, who wanted to lead Catalonia to independence in 2017 with a referendum that was declared illegal, is currently unable to return home without risking arrest.

The Spanish government in Madrid had promised an amnesty for separatists and got it through parliament. In return, the Junts MPs in the central parliament in Madrid also voted in favor of Sánchez's re-election as Spanish head of government.

Arrest warrant still out for Puigdemont

However, the Spanish judiciary has not yet lifted the arrest warrant against Puigdemont, as Puigdemont could have personally enriched himself, which would be grounds for exclusion from amnesty.

For Sánchez, the election of the socialist Illa would be a major political success. However, with his left-wing minority government, he is dependent on the votes of Junts in the parliament in Madrid. According to Spanish media estimates, the Junts MPs could make it considerably more difficult for him to govern if they no longer support him.

One of the points of contention between the ERC and the Socialists was the demand that Catalonia, like the Basque Country and Navarre, should in future collect its own taxes and pay a proportion to the central government. Until now, the central government has collected taxes and passed on a portion to Catalonia. This is how it is regulated in almost all autonomous communities in the country.

SDA