1 of 2 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez applauds and receives applause after receiving congressional approval to form a new government, November 16, 2023. — Photo: Manu Fernandez/ AP Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez applauds and receives applause after receiving congressional approval to form a new government, November 16, 2023. Photo: Manu Fernandez/AP
Almost four months after the elections, the Spanish Congress approved this Thursday (16) the reelection of the socialist Pedro Sánchez, current Prime Minister of the country.
With maneuvers that included, among other things controversial pact with the country’s separatistsSánchez managed to stay in office despite coming second in the last electionin July, which he himself called in advance after losing political support.
This time the one The prime minister allied himself with the country’s separatist parties, which are met with strong rejection by the majority of the population. The pact, which goes primarily under the acronym Junts per Catalunya and defends the independence of the Catalonia region, sparked a wave of protests (more on this below).
He was However, thanks to this alliance, he managed to unite a majority in parliament into a government In Spain, a parliamentary monarchy, the party that wins the most seats in Congress wins the elections alone or with alliances.
In the vote this Thursday the last day of the deadline for Sánchez to form a government deputies approved the new government of the Socialist Party 179 yes votes and 171 no votes. Prime Minister Sánchez needed at least 176 yes votes to form a government.
He will now rule over his own second term in alliance with six other partiesbetween leftwing acronyms and separatists from Catalonia and the Basque Country.
Immediately after the result a A demonstration formed in front of the door of the Spanish Parliament, in the center of Madrid. Conservative MPs and members of the farright Vox party left the congress and joined the demonstrators Protest against the pact with the independence supporters.
The seventh night of protests against the agreement between the Socialist Party and the Catalan separatists is taking place in Spain
Spain held general elections in July an election already anticipated by Pedro Sánchez himself, who dissolved parliament in April and called for a new election after his party performed poorly in regional elections this month.
At that time, Sánchez’s party, the Socialist Party, lost most of the municipalities it governed. At the same time, the conservatives of the People’s Party, a rival party to the Socialists, captured more local governments and the rightwing extremist Vox advanced into regional parliaments.
2 of 2 Proseparation protests in Catalonia show posters of former Catalan President Carles Puidgemont in 2019. — Photo: JeanFrancois Badias/ AP Proseparation protests in Catalonia show posters of former Catalan President Carles Puidgemont in 2019. — Photo : JeanFrancois Badias/ AP
Alternatively, Sánchez from the Socialist Party began to forge an alliance with separatist parties Junts per Catalunya from Catalonia and the Vasco National Party (PNV) from the Basque Country. The two acronyms, along with others on the left who already support the Socialists, gave Pedro Sánchez the number of seats to form a new government.
However, in order to support Sánchez, he must The Catalan separatists made a number of demands. The most important was that the government passes the amnesty lawwhich if approved, will automatically acquit Catalan politicians convicted of holding a referendum on the secession of Catalonia in 2017. The vote had been banned by the Spanish courts but was still held in the region.
Last week, Sánchez announced that he accepted the separatists’ demandswhich created one Wave of violent protests on the streets of Madrid.