Catalonia Elections: Sánchez's Strategy Triumphs as Separatists Lose Majority

Monday 13 May 2024 - 09:15

In a pivotal regional election in Catalonia on Sunday, the Socialist Party led by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emerged victorious, dealing a significant blow to the separatist forces that have long dominated the region. The results mark a turning point in the long-standing tensions between the central government and the independence movement, which reached a boiling point with the failed secession attempt in 2017.

The Socialists, spearheaded by Salvador Illa, a former health minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, secured 42 seats in the 135-member Catalan Parliament, a gain of nine seats from the previous election in February 2021. Sánchez hailed the outcome as "historic" on social media, asserting that a "new phase" had begun in Catalonia, "a phase for all Catalans, regardless of their beliefs."

This victory vindicates Sánchez's conciliatory approach toward the region since taking office in 2018. He pardoned jailed separatist leaders in 2021 and recently agreed to an amnesty law for all separatists prosecuted by the judiciary, securing the support of their parties for his reappointment to a new four-year term.

The separatist camp, which had governed Catalonia for a decade, lost its majority in the regional parliament. The three pro-independence parties – Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), and the far-left CUP – secured only 59 seats, down from 74 in 2021. While Carles Puigdemont's Junts gained three seats for a total of 35, the moderate ERC of the current regional president, Pere Aragonès, plummeted to 20 seats, losing 13.

Despite their losses, the separatists, along with the newly formed far-right pro-independence Alliance Catalana, fell short of the 68-seat threshold needed for an absolute majority. Puigdemont, who campaigned from France while facing an arrest warrant in Spain, had vowed to withdraw from local politics if unsuccessful.

Illa, the election's victor, still lacks a majority and will need to forge alliances to form a government. Analysts suggest a potential pact with the far-left, which governs nationally alongside the Socialists, and the moderate ERC, which would give them a razor-thin majority of 68 seats.

The election also saw gains for the conservative People's Party (PP), which secured 15 seats, up from 3 in 2021, while the far-right Vox party maintained its 11 seats. Both parties fiercely oppose the amnesty law, which is set for final approval by Spanish lawmakers in the coming weeks, potentially paving the way for Puigdemont's return to Catalonia.