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☆ Catalan separatists lose majority as Spain’s pro-union Socialists win regional elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A pro-unity rally marches through Barcelona, Spain, on October 8, 2017, in response to last Sunday's disputed referendum on Catalan independence. This was the first time the Socialists led a Catalan election in both votes and seats won. Illa led Spain's response to the COVID-19 pandemic before Sánchez sent him back to Barcelona to lead his party. The Socialists are already in a coalition government in Madrid with the Sumar party, which now has six seats in the Catalan parliament. Separatists have held the regional government in Barcelona since 2012 and had won majorities in four consecutive regional elections.

Persons: Carles Puigdemont, Salvador Illa savored, Illa, Catalonia's, Sánchez, bode, Pedro Sánchez, Puigdemont, pardoning, Puigdemont's, Pere Aragonès, Vox Organizations: Socialist Party, Socialists, Sánchez's Socialists, Republican, Popular Party, Catalan Alliance Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Catalonia, Madrid, Catalan, France, Spain's, Spanish, Catalans

☆ Spain's PM Sanchez Weakened by Defeat in Galicia Regional Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez emerged weakened from Sunday's parliamentary elections in the northwestern region of Galicia after his Socialist party (PSOE) won just nine seats in the 75-seat assembly. The conservative People's Party (PP) maintained its outright majority after winning 40 seats, while PSOE's far-left coalition ally Sumar failed to win a single seat, according to official results. A bad night for the Socialist Party," political consultancy Nitid wrote in a report. The victory bolsters PP's national leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, who faced questions over his leadership after failing to unseat Sanchez in last year's national election. After failing to form his own coalition with the hard-right Vox party, Feijoo has consistently attacked Sanchez on plans to offer an amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for their support.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Sumar, Sanchez, Nitid, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Feijoo, Inti Landauro, Emma Pinedo, Charlie Devereux, Ros Russell Organizations: Spanish, Socialist, PSOE, People's Party, Nationalist Galician Bloc, Socialists, Socialist Party, Vox Locations: MADRID, Galicia

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Fact Check: Video shows Madrid protest over Catalan amnesty deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of a protest in Madrid against a plan by Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to grant amnesty to Catalan separatists has been falsely claimed online to show a pro-Palestinian protest. The acting premier’s Socialist Party (PSOE) secured the backing of the Catalan separatist party Junts on Nov. 9 via a deal that included passing a law to grant amnesty to individuals convicted over Catalonia's attempt to secede from Spain in 2017. Thousands of people gathered across Spain on Nov. 12 to oppose the deal. Photographs and livestreams (archived) also captured different angles (archived) of the same protest. The protest was held over the Spanish government’s Catalan-separatist amnesty, not the Israel-Hamas war.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Junts, Sanchez, Read Organizations: Socialist Party, PSOE, Twitter, Facebook, El, Libertad Digital, Catalan, Spanish, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Catalan, Spain, Madrid’s Puerta, Sol, Palestine, Israel

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

☆ Spain’s Pedro Sanchez secures new term, ending four-month deadlock
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters —Spain’s parliament voted to make Pedro Sanchez prime minister for another term on Thursday, ending a protracted deadlock after an inconclusive general election in July. Sanchez had 179 votes in favor and 171 against, with no abstentions. It also represents a remarkable turnaround for Sanchez, who six months ago felt compelled to call a snap election after his party performed poorly in regional elections. Pedro Sanchez (L) is congratulated by Partido Popular leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo after winning a parliamentary vote to elect Spain's next premier, at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on November 16. Feijoo described Sanchez as being “subject to a monthly contract with separatists” to be able to govern.

Persons: Reuters —, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Olaf Scholz, ” Scholz, “, Ursula von der Leyen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Rodrigo Jimenez, Javier, Vox, Santiago Abascal, Feijoo, Esteban Gonzalez Pons, ” Sanchez, Spain's, Javier Soriano, ”, Miriam Nogueras, Nadia Calvino Organizations: Reuters, Spanish Socialist Workers ’ Party, PSOE, People’s Party, EU, Ukrainian, Spanish Socialist Worker's Party, Deputies, European People’s Party, EPP, Partido Popular, Socialists, European Investment Bank Locations: Spain, Catalonia, Spanish, Madrid, Socialist

☆ Pedro Sanchez secures another term as Spain's prime minister, set to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spanish acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during the investiture debate at the Spanish Parliament on Nov. 15, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. Spain's parliament has empowered acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to assemble a government, following two failed investiture attempts from right-wing opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo. Sanchez, who helms the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), won 179 votes in favor, with 171 against and no abstentions. It ends a four-month political deadlock following inconclusive general elections in July, when Feijóo's People's Party won a 136 majority of seats, while the Socialists clinched 121. Sanchez himself had called for the vote after his party hemorrhaged losses in regional and municipal elections in late May.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Sanchez, helms, Feijóo's, Vox, Junts, Carles Puigdemont Organizations: Spanish, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Feijóo's People's Party, Socialists, Catalan, Catalonian Locations: Madrid, Spain, Spain's, Catalonia, Galicia, Basque Country, Belgium

☆ Pedro Sánchez Secures New Term to Lead a Divided Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jason Horowitz | More About Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish progressive leader, secured a second term as prime minister on Thursday after a polarizing agreement granting amnesty to Catalan separatists gave him enough support in Parliament to govern with a fragile coalition over an increasingly divided nation. With 179 votes, barely more than the 176 usually required to govern, Mr. Sánchez, who has been prime minister since 2018, won a chance to extend the progressive agenda, often successful economic policies and pro-European Union posture of his Socialist Party. The outcome was the result of months of haggling since an inconclusive July election in which neither the conservative Popular Party, which came in first, or the Socialist Party, which came in second, secured enough support to govern alone. But the fractures in Spain were less about left versus right and more about the country’s very geographic integrity and identity. Mr. Sánchez’s proposed amnesties have breathed new life into a secession issue that last emerged in 2017, when separatists held an illegal referendum over independence in the prosperous northeastern region of Catalonia.

Persons: Pedro Sánchez, Sánchez, Sánchez’s Organizations: Socialist Party, Popular Party Locations: Spanish, European, Spain, Catalonia

☆ Separatist amnesty propels Spanish PM's re-election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsSeparatist amnesty propels Spanish PM's re-electionPostedSpain's parliament has voted to give Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a new term in office, after securing an alliance of political backers with an amnesty bill for Catalan separatists that has sparked protests across the country. Matthew Larotonda reports.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Matthew Larotonda Organizations: Spanish

☆ Sanchez Wins Spanish Parliament's Backing for New Term as PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's lower house of parliament on Thursday voted to make Pedro Sanchez prime minister for another term by a wafer-thin margin, ending a protracted deadlock after an inconclusive general election in July. 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. 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 Khalip)

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

☆ More clashes in Madrid over Catalan amnesty deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsMore clashes in Madrid over Catalan amnesty dealPostedSpanish protesters clashed with police outside the Socialist party headquarters in Madrid for a third straight night on Saturday (November 11), angered by its coalition deal with Catalan separatists that offers convicted secessionists amnesty.

Organizations: Socialist Locations: Madrid

Key to the agreement signed Thursday is a massively controversial amnesty that could benefit Puigdemont and thousands of other secessionists. Puigdemont is one of several Catalan leaders who fled justice after an illegal independence referendum was held in 2017. 1 for many Spaniards, and Catalan independence a politically toxic issue, some wonder why Sánchez, who has long opposed any amnesty, is now pushing for it. Those include the two pro-secession Catalan parties who led the unsuccessful 2017 breakaway attempt. A LEGAL QUAGMIREAny amnesty approved by Spain's Parliament is likely to be contested by the opposition parties and several courts in Spain.

Persons: — Spain's, Pedro Sánchez ’, Carles Puigdemont, Sumar —, Sánchez, Junts, QUAGMIRE, Didier Reynders, Spain’s, ___ Wilson Organizations: MADRID, Socialist, WHO, AMNESTY, Sánchez's Socialists, Forces, Popular Party, Vox, Police, Socialists, Junts, Basque Country, Court, European Union Locations: Catalunya, Catalonia, Spain, Spain's, Puigdemont, CATALONIA, Barcelona, Madrid, Basque, Navarra, Belgium

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

☆ Spain's Sanchez wins support for PM bid amid anger over Catalan amnesty vow
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We have managed to secure a majority that will make possible the investiture of Pedro Sanchez," acting minister for parliamentary relations Felix Bolanos said in an interview with SER radio station. Opinion polls have painted a picture of a country divided over the question of amnesty, even within the ranks of the Socialist Party. With Junts and PNV and the national and regional left-wing parties, Sanchez would win an absolute majority of 178 out of 350 lawmakers. Later on Friday, the Socialist Party added one vote more to its wide coalition after Canary Islands' regionalist party Coalicion Canaria also agreed to back Sanchez. Bolanos said the Catalan amnesty law would help ease tension in Catalonia as it would free school directors, firefighters and other civil servants who helped organise an illegal referendum on the region's independence in 2017 from legal proceedings.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, Jon Nazca, Junts, Sanchez, Felix Bolanos, Bolanos, Canaria, Carles Puigdemont, Belen Carreno, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, David Latona, Jessica Jones, Aislinn Laing, Toby Chopra, Nick Macfie, Hugh Lawson, Andrea Ricci Organizations: European, REUTERS, Rights, Catalan separatists, National Basque Party, Canaries ' Coalition, SER, Socialist Party, Socialist, La, Sigma, Sanchez's Socialist Party, Interior Ministry, El Mundo, Socialists, Police, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Rights MADRID, Catalonia, Galician, Basque, Canary Islands, Junts, Madrid

Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont delivers a statement after a deal was signed with Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) for Spanish government support, which is expected to include an amnesty law for Catalan separatist activists, in Brussels, Belgium November 9, 2023. The promise of a wide amnesty for Catalan separatists, including himself, that the 60-year-old fugitive from Spanish justice won in return is already dividing the country where protests have erupted in recent days. Puigdemont made his intentions clear in his inauguration speech, vowing to start "the constituting process of an independent state". A year and a half later, following an October 2017 independence referendum deemed illegal by Spanish courts, the same parliament declared Catalonia's independence. But he appears to have changed his tune since an interview published by Catalan newspaper ARA a week before Spain's election last July.

Persons: Carles Puigdemont, Yves Herman Acquire, Catalonia's, Pedro Sanchez, Puigdemont, Artur Mas, Spain's, Mariano Rajoy, Sanchez, Junts, Andrei KhalipMacfie Organizations: Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, PSOE, Catalan, REUTERS, Rights, Spanish, Catalonia's, Spain's, ARA, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BARCELONA, Spain, Spanish, Madrid, Girona, Germany, Italy, Catalonia

☆ Deal Granting Amnesty to Separatists Sets Off Turmoil in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Jason Horowitz | More About Jason Horowitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain sealed a deal to extend amnesty to Catalan separatists on Thursday in exchange for their political support, likely allowing him to stay in power but causing turmoil throughout Spain, doubts in Europe and questions about the country’s stability. Mr. Sánchez, 51, who is currently acting as a caretaker prime minister after inconclusive snap elections he called in July, backed the amnesties related to an illegal referendum that shook Spain in 2017 to receive the critical support of the Junts party, which supports independence from Spain for the northern region of Catalonia. With their support, Mr. Sánchez will likely avoid new elections, win parliamentary backing for another stint as prime minister and solidify his place in the European Union as its standard-bearer for progressive politics.

Persons: Pedro Sánchez, Sánchez Organizations: Union Locations: Spain, Europe, Catalonia

☆ 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

☆ 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

Those include two pro-secession Catalan parties who led the unsuccessful 2017 breakaway attempt and who now find themselves holding the key votes in Parliament that Sánchez requires. They have made an amnesty law as a prerequisite for supporting Sánchez. “Pedro Sánchez needs the amnesty law to pass so he can get the four votes he is lacking,” Nebrera told the AP. Spain granted a sweeping amnesty during its transition back to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. But legal experts are divided over the constitutionality of an amnesty for the Catalan separatists.

Persons: Oriol Calvo, Calvo, Pedro Sánchez, “, ” Calvo, Sánchez, Carles Puigdemont, Spain can’t, ”, Pablo Seco, Montserrat Nebrera, ” Nebrera, Felipe González, Francisco Franco, Xavier Antich, Hernán Muñoz Organizations: —, Socialist, International University of Catalonia, AP, Omnium Locations: BARCELONA, Spain, — Barcelona, Catalonia’s, Madrid, Catalonia, Belgium, Barcelona, Montserrat, Sánchez, Catalan

☆ Spain's right-wing leader fails in first bid to become prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Spain's right-wing opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo on Wednesday failed to gain the absolute majority of parliamentary votes needed to become prime minister. Feijóo received 172 votes in favor of his mandate in the Wednesday session — four short of the absolute 176 majority needed from the 350-strong parliament. Despite his electoral win over the summer and support from hard right party Vox, Feijóo's Popular Party has so far failed to stitch together the critical support. Should he fail, acting Prime Minister and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party leader Pedro Sanchez has two months to undergo a similar two-vote process in a bid for investiture, before parliament dissolves on Nov. 27 and elections are called on Jan. 14. A potential pardon could bring on the side the support of self-exiled former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont's Junts per Catalunya.

Persons: Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Feijóo, Vox, Feijóo —, Felipe VI, —, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont's Junts, Puigdemont, Raquel Sans Organizations: Feijóo's Popular Party, Spanish Socialist Workers ' Party, Popular Party, Reuters, Republican Left Locations: Spanish, Spain, Catalan, Catalonia, Catalunya, Madrid

☆ Spain's Sanchez to 'tread a very fine line' over possible amnesty for Catalan separatists: Analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSpain's Sanchez to 'tread a very fine line' over possible amnesty for Catalan separatists: AnalystJimena Blanco, senior research director and chief analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, discusses the Spanish investiture debates. She says there is a question over whether a possible amnesty for Catalan separatists could bring more people onto the streets.

Persons: Spain's Sanchez, Jimena Blanco, Maplecroft

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