From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 1 hour ago, updated 1 hour ago
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The right-wing opposition has been angry at the Socialist prime minister since he granted an amnesty to Catalan separatists to win their support.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was sworn in on Friday November 17th, a day after his re-election by Parliament. This came in the context of a strong mobilization from the right against his decision to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists.
The socialist leader pledged to King Felipe VI to “faithfully fulfill the duties incumbent on the head of government” and respect “the Constitution” during a ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace, home of the Spanish royal family.
Now that he has been sworn in, the 51-year-old socialist leader, in power since 2018, may announce the composition of his new government with his allies in the far-left Sumar coalition in the coming days.
The prime minister, who came second to his conservative rival Alberto Núñez Feijóo in the July 23 general election, has had to negotiate in all directions in recent weeks to win support for his return to power from regionalist groups, including the party of Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont, to receive .
In return for their essential support, the Catalan separatists have received the imminent adoption of an amnesty law for their leaders and activists, who are being prosecuted by the courts in particular for their involvement in the attempted secession of Catalonia in 2017.
“Act of High Treason”
This measure has led to a deep divide in the country, which has seen several, sometimes violent, demonstrations in recent days. A new rally is planned for Saturday in Madrid, attended by the leaders of Alberto Nunez Feijóo’s Popular Party and the far-right Vox party.
The inauguration of Pedro Sánchez by parliament was “an act of treason,” said a senior PP leader, Elías Bendodo, who accused the prime minister of “selling Spain to the separatists.”
“We will continue to support all mobilizations and all calls for resistance against this “government born of an unconstitutional pact”, assured Santiago Abascal, the head of Vox, who has been denouncing an institutional “coup d’etat” for several days.
In a sign of the extreme tensions, a group of retired soldiers highly critical of the left published a manifesto on Friday calling on “those responsible for defending the constitutional order” to “sack the prime minister” and “call new elections.” .
Asked about this explosive climate, government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez acknowledged that Pedro Sánchez’s new mandate promised to be “complex” and “difficult,” but judged that the government has “proven” in recent years that he is “in the… able to deal with it.” “Extremely complicated” situations.