Pedro Sanchez obtains the support of the exiled Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont in order to remain in power

This is what we call a political tour de force. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez obtained Thursday, November 9, the agreement of the party of Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont, essential for his return to power. The politician, exiled in Belgium, obtained the support of separatists in exchange for a very controversial amnesty law which is increasing tension in the country.

Pedro Sánchez, who has been at the head of the Spanish government since June 2018, is on the verge of succeeding in his challenge to remain in power after having defied the polls which predicted his defeat during the legislative election on July 23. The socialist ultimately held up better than expected against his conservative rival from the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who came first in the poll, but who was unable to be installed as Prime Minister at the end of September due to lack of sufficient support in Parliament. .

A potentially unstable majority

In exchange for the essential votes of Catalan independence deputies, Pedro Sánchez had to give in to their demand for an amnesty law for their leaders and activists prosecuted by the Spanish justice system due to their involvement in the 2017 secession attempt. head of state had already pardoned in 2021 the separatist leaders sentenced in 2019 to heavy prison sentences for their role in 2017. But this new concession from the socialist to the Catalan separatists has raised tension a notch in the country.

The right and extreme right have demonstrated on several occasions to denounce a “scandal”. Far-right rallies in front of the Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid ended Monday and Tuesday in scuffles with the police, images of violence that are quite unusual in Spain. Once re-appointed Prime Minister, he will have to deal with a majority which promises to be unstable. Indeed, Puigdemont’s party and the Basque nationalists of the PNV, very close to the business world, will have particular difficulty in voting for the reduction of the working week at 37.5 hours, a flagship measure of the government agreement between the socialists and their main ally, the radical left platform Sumar.