“Spain’s Catalonia will hold an premature election on May 12 as the regional parliament discards the separatist minority government’s budget offer,”/ Catalan government head Pere Aragones said on Wednesday.
The elections for 135 members of the regional parliament might have implications for national politics as Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez depend on Catalan separatist parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Junts to pass legislation.
Catalan separatism has been a leading theme in Spanish politics in the past decade.
The election had initially been planned for February 2025 at the conclusion of the current legislative term.
“On May 12, Catalan citizens will choose between responsibility or irresponsibility,” Aragones, who leads an ERC minority government, said in a televised address, calling the parties that opposed his budget proposal earlier on Wednesday “irresponsible”.
The bill had the support of Catalonia’s Socialist Party but was not accepted by the rest of the opposition.
The election announcement came on the eve of a lower house vote in Madrid on a pardon bill for pro-independence activities and officials involved in Catalonia’s separatist bid in the last decade. The bill is broadly expected to be approved.
The most high-profile recipient of the amnesty is expected to be Junts’ leader Carles Puigdemont who was Catalonia’s leader in 2017 when the province unilaterally documented independence. He later flew to Belgium to avoid prosecution and has been living in self-imposed exile there since.
Junts’ officials had formerly said they wanted Puigdemont to run in 2025. His involvement could be problematic as the amnesty bill is improbable to be enacted by May.
While stopping short of confirming whether Puigdemont would stand, Junts Secretary General Jordi Turull said on Wednesday Puigdemont would be able to be in Catalonia without the risk of being arrested by the time its next leaderis sworn in.
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