“If anything has been shown by President Pedro Sánchez in these years of government, it is that in Catalonia and in Spain as a whole, only the constitutional framework fits,” said socialist leader Isabel Rodríguez, who is also the spokesman for the current Spanish executive, a coalition of the PSOE and the far-left platform Unidas Podemos.
Isabel Rodríguez added that, taking into account the results of Sunday’s elections in Catalonia, “it seems clear” that “Catalan society” was also satisfied with the government’s performance within the constitutional framework.
The PSOE was the most voted force in Catalonia in last Sunday’s parliamentary elections, outpacing the nationalist and independence parties, which lost votes and elected fewer deputies.
Although they now have less representation in the Spanish parliament, these parties will be decisive for the viability of the new government, as there is no absolute majority on the left or right.
The current government, of the socialist Pedro Sánchez, was already enabled in January 2020 by regionalist, nationalist and independent parties from Galicia, the Basque Country and Catalonia, who are again available this year to support a left-wing executive.
The forces that enabled the left-wing government in 2020 may not be enough this year, which is why former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont’s separatist party Together for Catalonia (JxCat) has so far been “unaligned” in Madrid with either the left or the right.
JxCat, which chose seven deputies, said on Monday it was available to open negotiations with the PSOE, but underlined that it would not swear to Pedro Sánchez “in vain” and set “self-determination and amnesty” as conditions for negotiations.
The self-determination is linked to a referendum in Catalonia on the region’s independence, and the amnesty is for independents accused and convicted by the courts of the 2017 trial that resulted in a unilateral declaration of independence.
These JxCat demands clash with the Spanish constitution, which establishes the unity of Spain and prevents referendums on self-determination.
“The PSOE has always been very clear on this issue. We are a constitutionalist party, any issue we tackle must fall within that constitutional framework,” Finance Minister and PSOE’s “number two” María Jesús Montero said in an interview today in response to a question about JxCat’s terms.
María Jesús Montero confirmed that the PSOE, the second most voted party in Sunday’s elections but has more allies in parliament than the winner, the People’s Party (PP, right), is willing to negotiate a “construction” and remain at the head of the Spanish government, but said there will be “discretion” and defended that it is time for the formation of parliamentary groups for now.
The same was said by the minister, spokeswoman for the government, Isabel Rodríguez, who spoke at the end of today’s Council of Ministers, the last before the summer holidays and which has already formally brought together an executive just “in office”.
When asked when the socialists’ negotiations to form a government will begin, Isabel Rodríguez replied that “democracy has its deadlines” and that it is now necessary to wait for the final count of votes (it remains to record those for emigration to the various constituencies of origin of residents abroad) and for the constitution of the Cortes (Congress of Deputies and Senate, the two chambers of the Spanish Parliament), on August 17.
“It is necessary to give time to each of these processes,” he defended, stressing that the country and the parties need “rest” and time before taking new steps, after “100 intense days”, with two election campaigns and two consecutive elections, in reference to the May 28 municipal and regional elections and last Sunday’s national parliamentary elections.
Source: DN
