Tens of thousands of Spaniards march against amnesty for Catalan separatists
Spain elections
At least 40,000 Spaniards took to the streets of the capital city of Madrid, on Sunday (September 24) against acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s possible plans to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists in a bid to stay in office. This comes after Spain’s inconclusive July election and ahead of a debate for opposition party leader Alberto Nunez-Feijoo to become the country’s next PM.
What is happening in Madrid?
Media reports citing local officials and organisers said that at least 40,000 supporters of the opposition conservative People’s Party (PP) from across Spain have gathered to attend the rally in Madrid. The images show a crowd of tens of thousands of people waving Spanish flags with placards opposing the possible plans to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists.
This comes months after Spain’s inconclusive election where Sanchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) came in second while King Felipe VI tasked Feijoo – whose Popular Party won the most votes – with forming a new government ahead of an investiture vote on September 27.
What is Sanchez’s plan?
Acting Spanish PM’s bid to stay in office involves winning the support of exiled former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont whose party Junts per Catalunya controls seven seats in parliament.
Puigdemont, who is wanted for attempting the region’s succession, demanded that charges against his fellow separatists be dropped as a condition for his support.
Sanchez, held his own political rally in Gava, near Catalonia’s regional capital Barcelona, on Sunday denied mentions of amnesty but said that the Socialists wanted to heal social divisions over the Catalan crisis, reported Reuters. “We are trying to turn the page,” he told supporters.
In 2021, Sanchez granted pardons to nine separatists jailed over their roles in the independence push. Currently, hundreds of activists are facing legal action over the 2017 failed Catalan separatist bid which sparked Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.
What about Feijoo’s bid?
As of now, Feijoo does not have the support to obtain 176 votes in the 350-seat parliament. During the rally in Madrid, the leader of the PP attacking Sanchez’s supposed plan said that withdrawing criminal cases against the separatists would amount to granting an amnesty to “coup plotters”.
Feijoo is four seats short and has garnered the support of the right-wing Vox plus a handful of other seats. In an interview with El Mundo daily on Monday, Feijoo said “If I accepted” the demands of regional parties, “I could be prime minister next week. But I don’t intend to give in to blackmail.”
The rallies come ahead of the parliamentary debate, on Tuesday (Sept 26) with a speech by Feijoo followed by a first vote on Wednesday. If he fails, he will then face a second vote on Friday where he would require a simple majority of more votes in favour than against.
However, reports suggest that his chances of winning, barring any unexpected surprise switch, are slim since the PP opposes any concessions to separatists. If Feijoo fails, Sanchez will get a chance to see if he can muster support.
(With inputs from agencies)
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