Post by account_disabled on Feb 22, 2024 1:19:29 GMT -8
The lower house of Spain's Congress is preparing to debate and vote on a controversial pardon law that seeks to resolve the legal problems of hundreds of people involved in Catalonia's frustrated 2017 independence attempt.
Socialist President Pedro Sánchez has agreed to present this bill in exchange for the support of two small Catalan separatist parties, allowing him to form a new minority government towards the end of last year.
This project could open Switzerland Mobile Number List the door to the return of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, leader of one of the separatist parties, who fled to Belgium after leading the secession attempt in 2017 and was declared a fugitive by Spanish justice.
A crucial aspect is whether Puigdemont's party will manage to include clauses that grant him immunity from any legal accusation if he returns. If this is not possible, you are likely to vote against the project.
Puigdemont and the Catalan independence movement generate rejection among many Spaniards, and the pardon proposal has provoked the ire of conservative and far-right parties, which represent approximately half of the population. In addition, many members of the judiciary, the police and influential figures in Sánchez's party oppose this measure.
In recent months, opposition parties have held seven large demonstrations against the pardon.Even if the law is approved on Tuesday, it will still have to overcome the obstacle of the Senate, where the main right-wing opposition party, the Popular Party, has an absolute majority and has promised to do everything possible to stop it in both the upper house and the courts.
Sánchez acknowledges that if he had not needed the support of the Catalan separatists, he would not have agreed to the pardon. He claims that without his support, he would not have been able to form a government and the right, which won the majority of seats in 2023, could have come to power.Approval of the law requires the vote of 176 lawmakers in the 350-seat chamber. Sánchez's minority coalition has 147 seats, but in principle it has the support of 30 other deputies.
Socialist President Pedro Sánchez has agreed to present this bill in exchange for the support of two small Catalan separatist parties, allowing him to form a new minority government towards the end of last year.
This project could open Switzerland Mobile Number List the door to the return of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, leader of one of the separatist parties, who fled to Belgium after leading the secession attempt in 2017 and was declared a fugitive by Spanish justice.
A crucial aspect is whether Puigdemont's party will manage to include clauses that grant him immunity from any legal accusation if he returns. If this is not possible, you are likely to vote against the project.
Puigdemont and the Catalan independence movement generate rejection among many Spaniards, and the pardon proposal has provoked the ire of conservative and far-right parties, which represent approximately half of the population. In addition, many members of the judiciary, the police and influential figures in Sánchez's party oppose this measure.
In recent months, opposition parties have held seven large demonstrations against the pardon.Even if the law is approved on Tuesday, it will still have to overcome the obstacle of the Senate, where the main right-wing opposition party, the Popular Party, has an absolute majority and has promised to do everything possible to stop it in both the upper house and the courts.
Sánchez acknowledges that if he had not needed the support of the Catalan separatists, he would not have agreed to the pardon. He claims that without his support, he would not have been able to form a government and the right, which won the majority of seats in 2023, could have come to power.Approval of the law requires the vote of 176 lawmakers in the 350-seat chamber. Sánchez's minority coalition has 147 seats, but in principle it has the support of 30 other deputies.