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Spain passes amnesty law for Catalan nationalists

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Spain’s Congress has passed a contentious Catalan amnesty law, clearing its final parliamentary hurdle before implementation. The law aims to halt legal actions against Catalan nationalists for their separatist activities, including the 2017 independence referendum and subsequent failed independence bid. The law narrowly passed with 177 votes in favor and 172 against, following a six-month parliamentary process initiated by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party (PSOE). Although delayed by the opposition-controlled Senate, it could not be blocked entirely.

The amnesty will be published in the official gazette, giving judges two months to apply it. While potential legal challenges remain, they are unlikely to impede the law’s implementation. Around 400 Catalan nationalists, involved in separatist actions since November 2011, will benefit, including those prosecuted for organizing the illegal 2017 referendum. Police facing charges for voter assaults during the referendum are also covered.

The most notable beneficiary is Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan president, who led the 2017 secession attempt and has since been in self-exile in Belgium. Puigdemont’s party, Together for Catalonia (JxCat), and the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) secured the amnesty in exchange for supporting Sánchez’s coalition government. Puigdemont plans to return to Spain for an investiture vote in the regional parliament, despite lacking sufficient support to form a government.

Miriam Nogueras of JxCat described the amnesty as “necessary redress” rather than clemency. The PSOE, their coalition partner Sumar, JxCat, ERC, the Basque EH Bildu coalition, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG), and far-left Podemos supported the law. The conservative People’s Party (PP), far-right Vox, and other regional conservatives opposed it. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo condemned the amnesty as “political corruption,” accusing Sánchez of using it to secure his political position. Conversely, Artemi Rallo of the PSOE argued that the law, along with a 2022 pardon of nine jailed independence leaders, has “normalized politics in Catalonia.”

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News Politics

Spain Election: Rightists make major gains; Socialists retain power

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The fourth election in Spain in less than four yours has also contributed the crisis of political deadlock, like what it contributed in the past three occasions.

This time also, making the situation bad to worse, no political party has gained a clear majority in the Spanish parliament.

The Spanish parliament has nearly 350 seats. So, for a simple majority at least 176 seats is needed.

In the latest election, the ruling PSOE (socialists) has gained around 120 seats – which is at least three seats less than what it wristed in the previous election.

Meanwhile, the rightist political parties like the PP and the Vox have made major gains in the election.

The PP has increased its seat count to around 88 from less than 66, and the Vox to 52 from 24. As what can be clearly read from the data, the far-rightist Vox is the one that has made the biggest gain.

In the previous time, the socialists failed to find a supporter for its government. When it called for a snap election, its expectation was that it would be able to gain a clear majority this time.

What the election result tells is a different story. The result shows the decreasing popularity of the socialists and the increasing popularity of the rightists.

A political expert says that it is not wise to lose this chance. He adds that if the leftists lose this chance, they may not be able to come to power in the country anything in the near future.

The Spain election result has a message for the entire Europe. In Europe, the political left and the political liberal are shrinking. What that is occupying that space is the political right – sadly, the political far-right.

Unlike others, the political far-right is not easy to deal with. It is not clear whether the political left and the political liberal know how to deal with that front rightly.


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News Politics

Spain to witness snap election in two months

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The Spanish government has decided to conduct a snap election, as its budget has been failed in the parliament due to the withdrawal of Catalan separatists’ support to the socialist government, which came to power nearly eight months ago with the support of an anti-austerity party and the Catalan separatists.

In the 350 member parliament, the PSOE (the ruling socialist party) has less than 85 members. And, its main ally Podemos (the anti-austerity party) has little more than 65 seats. Meanwhile, the main opposition Popular Party has as many as 134 seats.

It was the Catalan separatists who were preventing the minority government from being washed away by the heavy tides of the opposition.

The absence of that protective layer formed by the Catalans means the government is no longer indestructible.

In the statement released during the announcement of the government’s decision to conduct the snap election, the ruling government has criticised the opposition heavily. It has alleged that the opposition has purposefully defeated many important bills in the parliament to destabilise the government.

A poll survey predicts that no party will cross the magic number in the proposed snap election. Meanwhile, the same survey suggests that the conservatives will defiantly make little progress in their number of seats in the parliament in the election.

Spain is new to political destabilisation. Never in its recent history has it suffered such a situation. The last time that it suffered some thing similar to this is when the country found itself liberated from its decades-old dictatorship post the unexpected demise of Francisco Franco.

Vignesh. S. G
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