Spain: Catalan separatists strengthen their majority in regional parliament
A voter deposits her ballot in a ballot box at a polling station located at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, during the regional elections, February 14, 2021. AFP - JOSEP LAGO
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The Catalan separatist parties on Sunday February 14th reinforced their absolute majority in the regional parliament after a poll marked by the pandemic, more than three years after an abortive attempt at secession of this region of the northeast of the Spain.
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According to partial results covering about 75% of the ballots, the candidate of the Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the former Minister of Health Salvador Illa, led these regional with more than 23% of the votes and 33 seats on the 135 in the Catalan parliament.
But as the separatist parties have pledged in writing not to seal an agreement with him, Salvador Illa has no room for maneuver allowing him to count on the necessary votes in the Catalan parliament to take the presidency of Catalonia.
Determined to break the stranglehold of the separatists, in power since 2015 in Barcelona, Pedro Sanchez appealed to this figure in the fight against Covid-19 in Spain to lead the battle of the socialists.
Divergences between separatists
The separatist parties, on the other hand, seem able to maintain themselves at the head of this rich region of 7.8 million inhabitants.
With 33 seats for the Left Republican of Catalonia (ERC), 32 for Ensemble pour la Catalogne (JxC) of the former regional president Carles Puigdemont and nine for the radicals of the CUP, they have 73 seats against 70 during the legislature which has just ended.
The separatists will, however, have to overcome the deep differences that have arisen since the failure of the 2017 secession attempt to conclude a government agreement.
The region is currently governed by a coalition between JxC, a formation advocating confrontation with Madrid, and ERC, more moderate.
(With
AFP
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Also to listen: Elections under Covid in Catalonia: "The risk is that only the separatists will go and vote"
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