The Socialist Party won a narrow victory in Catalonia’s regional elections on Sunday, but the party bloc that claims independence from Spain has extended its control over the regional parliament.
With 99% of the votes counted, the three main parties focused on creating an independent Catalan state increased their seats in the regional parliament to 74. In 2017, the same parties won 70 seats there, out of a total of 135 and remained with a majority of only two.
The Socialist Party of Catalonia, which is in favor of federalism and is led by former Health Minister Salvador Illa, was preparing to get 33 seats with more than 625,000 votes. The pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia was also heading for 33 seats, but with 580,000 votes.
Despite the marked increase in support for the Socialist Party of Catalonia – which is associated with the Socialist Workers’ Party of Spain to which the head of government Pedro Sánchez belongs, who has been in talks with the separatists in an attempt to ease tensions with the Catalan authorities. to gather the necessary support for a government in this region of eastern Spain, on the border with France. It would require the support of various parties, including separatists.
The result confirms that the feeling of independence has not diminished despite the collective difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and a frustrated attempt at secession in October 2017 for which several of its members went to prison. Four years later, the rich region remains divided over its possible separation from the rest of Spain.
However, it is currently unknown whether the secessionist parties will be able to resolve the internal disputes that have affected their bloc, as the dream of easily gaining independence from Spain has proved difficult.
The results shifted the balance of power within the separatist bloc for the first time to the Republican Left of Catalonia, whose 33 seats surpassed the center-right Juntos por Cataluña, which was to win 32.
The Republican Left of Catalonia, led by imprisoned Oriol Junqueras, can now challenge the leadership of the Together with Catalonia bloc, the party of former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium after a failed attempt to secede in October 2017.
Together for Catalonia, it maintains a more radical position on the short-term separation of Spain, while the Republican Left of Catalonia has softened its position on this issue in the last year and has set amnesty as a top priority for the time being. central authorities for Junqueras and other imprisoned leaders.
Adrià Hoguet, 29, changed her vote from Together for Catalonia to the Republican Left of Catalonia, noting that the party knows it will be neither easy nor possible to gain independence following the above methods.
With these results, parliament will become much more fragmented and radical.
The right-wing party Vox has entered the Catalan legislature for the first time with 11 seats, confirming its advance in Spain in recent years. Its success came at the expense of the Conservative People’s Party, which was left with only three seats after a campaign in which it reduced what was a strict position against the Catalan independence activists.
On the other side of the political spectrum, the left-wing and secessionist CUP has increased its participation to nine seats compared to the four it held in 2017.
Thus, once again, the secessionist forces will need the unpredictable CUP to form a majority government.