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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez takes the oath of office during a ceremony at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, Spain November 17, 2023. Calvino, who is the frontrunner for the top job at the European Investment Bank scheduled to be announced at the end of the year, will also keep her position as first deputy prime minister, Sanchez said in a televised statement. Given the anticipated difficulty of passing laws with a minority government, Budget Minister Maria Jesus Montero will be promoted to be one of four deputy prime ministers. His four deputy prime ministers are all female. Junior coalition partner Sumar got five portfolios, keeping its share of power within the cabinet.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Andres Ballesteros, Nadia Calvino, Calvino, Sanchez, Teresa Ribera, Maria Jesus Montero, Jose Manuel Albares, Yolanda Diaz, Sumar, Felix Bolanos, Ana Redondo, Irene Montero, Ione Belarra, Belen Carreno, Inti, Aislinn Laing, Toby Chopra, Charlie Devereux, Ed Osmond, William Maclean Organizations: Spain's, Rights, Socialist, European Investment Bank, European, Energy, Labour, Socialists, Junior, Thomson Locations: Zarzuela, Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Maria Jesus Montero ,, Sumar

☆ Spain's police arrest Catalan amnesty deal protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsSpain's police arrest Catalan amnesty deal protestersPostedMadrid police late on Saturday night (November 18) arrested protesters rallying against an amnesty deal for Catalan separatists that helped re-elect Spain's Socialist prime minister.

Organizations: Spain's Socialist Locations: Madrid

☆ Police seize pistol from military officer at Spanish amnesty protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera / File... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMADRID, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A Spanish military officer was arrested with a pistol at a demonstration against an amnesty law which will benefit Catalan separatists involved in a failed 2017 bid for independence, police said on Sunday. About 1,500 people took part in the demonstration, the 16th consecutive protest outside the Socialists' headquarters. El Confidencial, a Spanish news site, reported on Sunday that the officer had a private weapon that was not a pistol used for military purposes. The independence referendum was declared illegal by the courts and resulted in Spain's worst political crisis for decades. Sanchez has defended the law saying an amnesty would help to defuse tensions in Catalonia.

Persons: Catalonia's, Susana Vera, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Graham Keeley, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Zaragoza Military Academy, Socialist, Reuters, Socialists, Spain's Socialists, Spain's Socialist, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Madrid, Spain, MADRID, El, Catalan, Basque, Catalonia

☆ Biggest protest in Spain against Catalan amnesty law draws 170,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Raul Cadenas Susana Vera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The amnesty will cover about 400 people involved in the independence bid that came to a head in 2017, including separatists but also police involved in clashes with activists. The independence referendum was declared illegal by the courts and resulted in Spain's worst political crisis for decades. The amnesty will be the largest in Spain since the 1977 blanket amnesty for crimes committed during the Francisco Franco dictatorship, and the first amnesty law approved in the European Union since 1991, according to Spain's CSIC research council. Protesters, including neo-Nazi groups, have held rowdy demonstrations outside the Socialist headquarters in Madrid for 15 nights consecutively since the deal was announced. In a survey by Metroscopia in mid-September, around 70% of respondents - 59% of them Socialist supporters – said they were against the idea of an amnesty.

Persons: Catalonia's, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santiago Abascal, Francisco Franco, Metroscopia, –, Graham Keeley, Susana Vera, Raul Cadenas, Silvio Castellanos, Clelia Oziel, Mike Harrison Organizations: Spain's Socialists, Spain's Socialist, Authorities, People's Party, Vox, European Union, Socialist, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, MADRID, Catalan, Basque, Catalonia

Sanchez's confirmation as premier would end four months of uncertainty since an election in July produced no outright winner. Authorities said 15 people were arrested in a 2,000-person protest on Wednesday night outside the Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid following clashes with police. Feijoo, who accused Sanchez of undermining the rule of law on Wednesday called for mass protests on Saturday Nov 18. Sanchez argued on Wednesday that an amnesty would help to defuse tensions in Catalonia. Reporting by Belen Carreño and Emma Pinedo; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez applauds, amnesties, Catalonia's, Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Jorge Pueyo, Sumar, Patxi Lopez, Feijoo, Miriam Nogueras, Nogueras, Belen Carreño, Emma Pinedo, Charlie Devereux, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Spain's, Socialist, People's Party, Sanchez's Socialist Party, PSOE, ERC, Socialists, Authorities, Socialist Party, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Catalonia, Basque Country, Galicia, Madrid, Socialist

☆ Sanchez wins Spanish parliament's backing for new term as PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

His Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) had reached separate deals with a number of regional parties to earn their backing, including a contentious bill on amnesty for Catalan separatists that has sparked protests across Spain. Sanchez's bid garnered 179 votes in favour and 171 against, with no abstentions. The "nays" stemmed from the conservative People's Party, the far-right Vox and the People's Union of Navarre's lone lawmaker. PSOE's hard-left ally Sumar, Catalan pro-independence parties Junts and ERC, Basque parties PNV and EH Bildu, Galicia's BNG and the Canary Coalition all voted for Sanchez, who first acceded to the office in 2018. Reporting by Belén Carreño, Inti Landauro and Emma Pinedo; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei KhalipOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, amnesties, Catalonia's, Sanchez's, Vox, Navarre's, PSOE's, Sumar, Galicia's BNG, Sanchez, Belén Carreño, Inti Landauro, Emma Pinedo, David Latona, Andrei Khalip Organizations: Spain's, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, People's Party, People's Union, Junts, ERC, Canary Coalition, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Catalan, Basque

☆ Madrid streets barricaded ahead of tense Spanish investiture debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The amnesty deal with Catalan separatists has prompted a wave of protests across Spain. Authorities said 80,000 people gathered in Madrid on Sunday, while tens of thousands also attended demonstrations in Granada and Seville. Thousands have congregated each night for nearly a fortnight outside the Socialist Party (POSE) headquarters in Madrid. "We are Spaniards worried about Spain," said one young protester draped in a Spanish flag. The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an injunction by the far-right party Vox to suspend the investiture vote.

Persons: Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez's, Junts, Vox, Adolf Hitler, Esteban Gonzalez Pons, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Belen Carreno, Miguel Gutierrez, Charlie Devereux, Aislinn Laing, Emelia Organizations: Spain's, Amnesty, Spain MADRID, Police, ERC, Sanchez’s Socialists, People's Party, Authorities, Sunday, Socialist Party, Eastern, European, Sanchez's Socialist Party, PSOE, Junts, Thomson Locations: Spain, Spain's, Madrid, Catalan, Granada, Seville, Spanish, Hungary, Romania

☆ Tens of thousands protest across Spain at proposed Catalan amnesty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people protested across Spain on Sunday against acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez's plans to grant amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for support for another term in office. The government secured a deal with Catalan separatist party Junts on Thursday which includes passing a contentious law granting amnesty to those convicted over Catalonia's attempt to secede from Spain in 2017. "He (Sanchez) has betrayed coexistence, democracy...he can't keep governing," said banker Tomas Perez, 38, holding a sign reading "Sanchez traitor". After an inconclusive July 23 election, the Socialists spent weeks negotiating with smaller parties including far-left platform Sumar and Catalan, Galician and Basque nationalist parties. Reporting by Miguel Gutierrez and Guillermo Martinez; Writing by Jessica Jones; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez's, Junts, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Puerta, amnesties, Catalonia's, Sanchez, Tomas Perez, Inmaculada Herranz Castro, Miguel Gutierrez, Guillermo Martinez, Jessica Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: People's Party, Authorities, Popular Party, Spain's, Socialists, Basque Nationalist Party, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Sol, Madrid, Spanish, EU, Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Malaga, Palma, Valencia, Galician, Basque

Just holding the deal together through a full four-year parliamentary term will be a tough challenge, many predict. "The next legislative term will be very tough for the PSOE, it is likely it won't finish the whole term," said Catalan political analyst Joan Esculies. Spaniards have also been called to show their ire in town square demonstrations across the country on Sunday. For Andoni Ortuzar, the Basque Nationalist Party leader who also struck a deal with the Socialists on Friday, whether the government could hold would be a test of Spain's plurality. "We are different - we consider ourselves a different nation - and the question is whether we can live together comfortably," he said.

Persons: Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez, Francisco Franco, Junts, Carles Puigdemont, Joan Esculies, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Andoni Ortuzar, Susana Vera, Emiliano Garcia, Puigdemont, Lluis Orriols, Ortuzar, Belen Carreno, Joan Faus, Emma Pinedo, Aislinn Laing, Alex Richardson Organizations: Deal, Spain's Socialists, Socialist, PSOE, People's Party, Socialists, Basque Nationalist Party, REUTERS, Catalan Socialist, Carlos III University, Thomson Locations: MADRID, BARCELONA, Catalan, Belgium, Catalonia, Spain, Madrid, Castilla, La Mancha, Spanish, Catalunya

☆ Spanish Socialists and Catalan Junts reach deal for government support, amnesty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A law granting amnesty to those prosecuted over Catalonia's attempt to secede from Spain was included in the deal, political leaders said and the deal text showed. The agreement included Junts lending its votes in parliament to support legislation for a full four-year term, he said. But Junts, which seeks another independence referendum, said supporting each law would depend on progress in talks involving Catalonia's political conflict. As a deal between Junts and the Socialists edged nearer in the past week, the mood in the country has become increasingly febrile, with protesters clashing with police outside the Socialists' headquarters in Madrid. An amnesty could exculpate as many as 1,400 activists and politicians involved in the attempt to separate Catalonia from Spain.

Persons: Junts, Feijoo, Puigdemont, Pedro Sanchez, Santos Cerdan, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Jaume Clotet, Belen Carreno, Joan Faus, Graham Keeley, Aislinn Laing, Charlie Devereux, Alison Williams, Toby Chopra, Bernadette Baum, Sharon Singleton, Alex Richardson Organizations: Companies Spain's Socialists, Conservative, Socialist Party, PSOE, Socialist, Socialists, Police, People's Party, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, Basque Nationalist Party, Thomson Locations: Catalan, Madrid, MADRID, Spain, Brussels, Junts, Catalonia, Belgium, Waterloo

The clashes led to chaotic scenes of people running amid smoke and trash containers thrown in the streets, Reuters video footage showed. Around 4,000 people attended the protest - including Spain's far-right party Vox leader, Santiago Abascal - and at least one person was detained, according to local media reports. The Socialists are reportedly nearing their negotiations with Puigdemont's party, Junts, while the proposed law has been fiercely criticized by conservative parties and judges who accuse Sanchez of jeopardizing the rule of law. The protest was organised by a Spanish nationalist grassroots organization and smaller protests took place in other Spanish cities such as Barcelona. "To attack the PSOE offices is to attack democracy and all those who believe in it," Sanchez posted on X, using the Socialist Party acronym in Spanish.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Catalonia's, Santiago Abascal, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Puigdemont Organizations: Spanish, Spain's Socialists Party, PSOE, Socialist Party, TVE, Police, Socialist, El, Socialists, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, MADRID, El Pais, Spanish, Barcelona

☆ Spain's Socialists win backing of Catalan separatist ERC, still waiting on Junts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BARCELONA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) reached a deal with Spain's Socialists (PSOE) to support acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's bid for a second term, both parties said on Thursday. However, the crucial backing of rival party Junts remains pending amid last-minute negotiations. Seeking the support of the Catalan parties, Sanchez said on Saturday he favoured granting an amnesty to people involved with Catalonia's failed 2017 independence bid. The agreement with ERC included "an amnesty for all", the Catalan party's chairman Oriol Junqueras told reporters, without elaborating. Junts held a meeting in Brussels to decide whether to back Sanchez's investiture, but it ended without an agreement with the PSOE, said a Junts source.

Persons: Esquerra, Pedro Sanchez's, Junts, Sanchez, Catalonia's, Oriol Junqueras, Pere Aragones, Felix Bolanos, Bolanos, Junqueras, Emma Pinedo, Belen Carreno, Charlie Devereux, Joan Faus, Gareth Jones Organizations: ERC, Spain's Socialists, PSOE, Thomson Locations: BARCELONA, Catalan, Basque, Spain, Brussels

☆ Spain's Socialists, hard-left Sumar strike government coalition deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The agreement came after acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with Sumar leader and acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz on Monday. Sanchez requires the support from Sumar's 33 lower-house lawmakers - as well as from other parties, including some advocating for Catalan and Basque independence - in his bid to renew his term as premier. While Sumar's support is crucial, it is not enough to secure Sanchez's investiture in the lower house. He still needs the backing of Catalan separatists, who are demanding an amnesty law to mass pardon people involved in the region's failed independence bid of 2017. Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Ed Osmond and Aislinn LaingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Spain's, Yolanda Diaz, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, David Latona, Ed Osmond, Aislinn Laing Organizations: Socialist Party, PSOE, Spain's Socialist Party, Labour, Catalan, Socialists, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Basque, Catalan

☆ Tens of thousands protest against possible Catalan amnesty deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Graham Keeley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Unionist supporters protest against amnesty of separatist leaders and activists involved in the 2017 failed independence drive at Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona, Spain, October 8, 2023. Pedro Sanchez needs the support of Catalan separatist parties Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, which want the unpopular amnesty in exchange for votes in parliament. An amnesty would put the government above democracy and the rule of law," said Javier Tapia, 55, a chemicals worker. The amnesty could potentially cover more than 1,400 people involved in the independence bid that came to a head in 2017, pro-separatist Catalan group Omnium estimates. Around 70% of respondents - 59% of them Socialist supporters – said they were against the idea of an amnesty in a poll in mid-September.

Persons: Passeig de Gracia, Albert Gea, Sanchez, Spain's, Pedro Sanchez, Junts, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santiago Abascal, Javier Tapia, Isabel Martinez, Feijoo, Francisco Franco, –, Graham Keeley, Joan Faus, Horaci Garcia, Guillermo Martinez, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Passeig, REUTERS, Barcelona, BARCELONA, Spain's, Socialist, People's Party, Vox, Sale, AMNESTY, European Union, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Catalan, Catalonia

☆ Socialists would win Spain election over conservative PP, poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives to address the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2023. Most parties - except PSOE - and rival private pollsters have questioned the agency's neutrality and methodology. The new poll gives third place to the left-wing alliance Sumar at 11.9% and fourth to the far-right Vox with 11.1%. Should those efforts to woo the pro-independence parties prove to be unsuccessful, a repeat election would be held in mid-January. Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Eduardo Munoz, Vox, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, David Latona, Andrei Khalip, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Spain's, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Spain's Socialists, People's Party, for Sociological Studies, CIS, Socialist Party, PSOE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Rights MADRID, Sumar, Navarre, Catalan, Basque, Madrid

The logo of the European Investment Bank is pictured in the city of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, March 25, 2017. Also interested are the politically non-affiliated Italian central banker Daniele Franco, Poland's right-wing former Finance Minister and current EIB Vice President Teresa Czerwinska, and Sweden's socialist former Energy Minister and also current EIB Vice President Thomas Ostros. "We can say we are really spoilt for choice because all the candidates are excellent," German Finance Minister Christian Lindner told reporters on Thursday. The EIB is the lending arm of the EU and is active in 160 countries offering loans, guarantees, equity investments and advisory services. Germany's Deputy Central Bank Governor Claudia Buch and her Spanish counterpart Margarita Delgado are both in the running.

Persons: Eric Vidal, Vincent van Peteghem, Germany's Werner Hoyer, Margrethe Vestager, Nadia Calvino, Daniele Franco, Poland's, Teresa Czerwinska, Thomas Ostros, Christian Lindner, Central Bank Governor Claudia Buch, Margarita Delgado, Buch, Vestager, Emmanuel Macron, Richard Chang Organizations: European Investment Bank, Reuters, Rights, Belgian, Union, European Commission, Finance, Energy, European Central Bank, Germany's, Central Bank Governor, SSM, Thomson Locations: Luxembourg, Rights BRUSSELS, Italian, Spanish, EU, Paris, Spain

☆ Luis Rubiales: what to know about the World Cup kiss scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-Soccer Football - FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez receive the World Cup champions - Moncloa Palace, Madrid, Spain - August 22, 2023 President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), has stirred a furore by kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso during the Women's World Cup trophy presentation. Rubiales sacked Spain manager Julen Lopetegui two days before their 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia because the coach had a pre-agreement to join Real Madrid after the tournament. There was further controversy last year when members of the Spanish women's team mutinied against their coach Jorge Vilda. The RFEF backed Vilda who then cut 12 of the 15 players involved from the squad that went on to win the World Cup. Rubiales' actions on World Cup final day, and later defiance, have brought a torrent of public criticism in Spain and elsewhere, but also a backlash in some circles against feminism.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Juan Medina, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Rubiales, Julen Lopetegui, Jorge Vilda, Vilda, Letizia, Sofia, peck, Yolanda Diaz, Irene Montero, Xavi Hernandez, Angeles Bejar, TAD, Trevor Stynes, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain's, Moncloa, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales REUTERS, WHO, Hamilton Academical, Association of Spanish, Real Madrid, Spanish, England, Reuters, Sports Council, Administrative, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Madrid, Spain, Spanish, Scotland, Russia, Australia, Barcelona, Motril

☆ Spanish Socialists' candidate elected speaker with support of Catalan groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Francina Armengol was appointed speaker after winning 178 votes in the 350-seat parliament. The candidate of the conservative People's Party (PP) won just 137 votes, while far-right Vox, which is in coalition with the PP in several Spanish regions, voted for its own candidate, Ignacio Gil instead of the PP's. Her candidacy for the speakership was seen as a nod to Catalan, Basque and Galician parties. CONCESSIONS TO SEPARATISTSERC leader Gabriel Rufian told a news conference that while the party had supported the Socialists' candidate for congressional speaker, that did not imply support for the formation of a Sanchez government. More hardline separatist party Junts also struck a deal in principle to back Armengol, according to state broadcaster TVE.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez's, Francina Armengol, Ignacio Gil, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Sumar, Esquerra Republicana, Armengol, Gabriel Rufian, Junts, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Inti Landauro, Charlie Devereux, Andrei Khalip, Angus MacSwan, Aislinn Laing, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Spain's Socialists, People's Party, Socialists, Vox, Catalonian, ERC, TVE, Thomson Locations: Madrid, MADRID, Catalan, Spain, Catalonia, Balearic, Basque, Galician, Belgium

Spain's Socialist leader and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, salutes his supporters during the general election, in Madrid, Spain, July 23, 2023. Spain has a sticky diplomatic relationship with Morocco over issues including migration, airspace, territorial waters, customs and land borders. Madrid said it regarded Rabat's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara as "serious, credible and realistic". Moroccan media first reported - and welcomed - Sanchez's choice of holiday destination. The site praised Sanchez's closeness to Morocco "although many Spanish politicians reproach him for it", contrasting his stance to that of his political rivals in Madrid.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Nacho, Spain's, Sanchez, Podemos, Idoia Villanueva, Villanueva, Miguel Tellado, Vox, David Latona, Angus McDowall, Aislinn Laing, Nick Macfie Organizations: Socialist, REUTERS, Sanchez's Socialists, Polisario, Twitter, People's Party, Onda, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Spanish, Algeria, Polisario, Moroccan, London

☆ Catalan kingmaker tells Spain's Sanchez not to take support for granted
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File PhotoBARCELONA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialists (PSOE), seeking to form a government after a hard-fought national election, should not take the support of Catalonia's separatist parties for granted, one of their leaders said on Wednesday. "It is Pedro Sanchez who has to make the moves to get support," Aragones said. To renew its support, ERC wants further talks, to cut the region's contributions to the national public finances, and to take control of local train services. Junts is demanding a referendum on independence and an amnesty for all separatists facing legal charges related to the failed 2017 independence bid. Aragones said the two parties' leverage could help obtain a referendum and amnesty, but also concessions in financial or cultural issues.

Persons: Pere Aragones i Garcia, Sarah Meyssonnier, Pere Aragones, Pedro Sanchez's, Sanchez, Pedro Sanchez, Aragones, Junts, Joan Faus, Charlie Devereux, John Stonestreet Organizations: of, Entrepreneurs de France, Paris, Paris Longchamp Racecourse, REUTERS, Spain's Socialists, PSOE, ERC, Socialist, People's Party, Thomson Locations: of Catalonia, Paris Longchamp, Paris, France, Spain, Catalan

☆ Spanish Socialists lose seat, after expat vote count, making it harder to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Graham Keeley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Counting of votes from over 233,000 Spaniards living abroad handed one seat in Madrid to the PP that had been awarded to the Socialists in the initial vote count, the PP and Socialists said on Saturday. To form a government, an absolute majority is needed in a parliamentary vote in the 350-seat Congress. This meant Sanchez only had to persuade Junts to abstain, to be voted back into power with a simple majority. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the PP leader, is still determined to try to form a right-wing coalition. Sumar leader Yolanda Díaz called on all "progressive forces" to support Sanchez.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Juan Medina, Sunday's, Esquerra, Junts, Sanchez, EH, Vox, Pablo Simon, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Feijoo, Pedro Rollan, Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, Graham Keeley, Alvise Armellini, Frances Kerry Organizations: Socialist, REUTERS, Spain's Socialists, Reuters, ERC, Socialists, Vox, Union of, Canarian Coalition, Basque Nationalist Party, Galician Nationalist Bloc, UPN, Canaries, PP, Carlos III University, Italian, Repubblica, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, BARCELONA, Catalan, Basque, Junts, Catalonia, Spanish, Rome

The results from Sunday's vote left neither the left nor right bloc with an easy path to form a government. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez' Socialists have more options but face potentially unpalatable demands from Catalan separatist parties. Those could include insistence on an independence referendum, triggering the kind of political chaos seen in 2017 when Catalonia last tried to break from Spain. Sanchez could win over left-wing separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), as he did to form a minority government in 2019. The Socialists, which oppose independence and any vote on the issue, may have a hard time accepting such a demand.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Begona Gomez, applauds, gridlock, Ignacio Jurado, Vox, Sumar, Sanchez, Esquerra, Junts, Miriam Nogueras, Carles Puigdemont, Ignacio Torreblanca, Charlie Devereux, Belen Carreno, Joan Faus, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Socialist, REUTERS, Carlos III University, People's Party, Socialists, PSOE, ERC, Congress, Spanish, European Council, Foreign Relations, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Catalan, MADRID, Catalonia, Belgium, Basque, Barcelona

☆ Spain 2023 election: PM Sanchez and rival Feijoo in chaotic live TV debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Spanish People's Party candidate Alberto Nunez Feijoo and Spain's Prime Minister and Socialist candidate Pedro Sanchez talk before a televised debate ahead of snap election in Madrid, Spain, July 10, 2023. With just under two weeks to go until the vote, opinion polls predict Feijoo as the likely winner, although he would probably need the support of far-right party Vox. Sanchez highlighted that Spain is among only a few European countries that has tamed inflation to below the European Central Bank's 2% target by 2023. Feijoo himself was recently pilloried for saying a Vox electoral candidate convicted of gender violence had a "hard divorce". Feijoo told Sanchez: "Those men who raped in the street are in the street because of you - there are more than 1,000 of them."

Persons: Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Pedro Sanchez, Juan Medina MADRID, gesticulating, Maria Jose Canel, Sanchez, Feijoo, Vox, Feijoo's, EH, Jose Miguel Contreras, Madrid's King, Madrid's King Juan Carlos University, Belen Carreno, Corina Rodriguez, Aislinn Laing, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Spanish People's Party, Spain's, Socialist, REUTERS, People's Party, Madrid's Complutense University, Socialists, AS, Central, Vox, Madrid's, Madrid's King Juan, Atresmedia, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Ukraine, Basque

☆ Barcelona gets Socialist mayor in consolation for prime minister Sanchez
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BARCELONA, June 17 (Reuters) - Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was given a last-minute consolation on Saturday when Barcelona's city council appointed a new Socialist mayor after a deal involving two rival parties. Despite pro-independence parties appearing certain to run Spain's second city, Jaume Collboni, the Socialist candidate, became mayor after the far-left Barcelona en Comu of the outgoing mayor Ada Colau gave him its support in a move supported by the conservative People's Party. The decision was a boost for the Socialist Party, which leads the national government, after mostly poor results in local elections around the country on May 28. Xavier Trias, 76, who represents the pro-business, pro independence party Junts per Catalunya, had been favourite to become mayor until the 11th-hour deal favouring Collboni. The political shift in Barcelona is a further setback for Catalonia's pro-independence movement, which has faltered in recent years.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Jaume Collboni, Ada Colau, Sanchez, Xavier Trias, Graham Keeley, Joan Faus, David Holmes Organizations: Socialist, People's Party, Socialist Party, Thomson Locations: BARCELONA, Barcelona's, Barcelona, Catalunya, Comu

☆ Spain's Sanchez gambles on snap election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsSpain's Sanchez gambles on snap electionPostedSpain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez unexpectedly called a snap national election on Monday and his main rival spelled out the aim of becoming the country's next leader. Edward Baran has more.

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