Summary of the day
Pedro Sánchez is on the verge of winning congressional backing for a second term as Spain’s prime minister after securing the support of Catalan separatist parties by agreeing to a controversial amnesty. A vote is expected tomorrow.
In an investiture debate filled with personal critiques, leaders of Spain’s competing political factions argued over the country’s future, and especially the planned amnesty.
In a lengthy speech, Sánchez outlined his policy agenda and defended the controversial amnesty deal. The amnesty will not be an attack on the constitution, he emphasised, but a sign of its strength.
The conservative People’s party’s Alberto Núñez Feijóo made a case against the amnesty deal reached between the socialists and Junts. “No to amnesty, no to ignoring the victims of separatism, no to erasing crimes of corruption and terrorism,” he said.
Sánchez also took aim at Feijóo for calling for a fresh election. “I don’t understand why you’re so keen to hold a new election if you won the last one,” he said.
The draft bill, tabled by the PSOE on Monday, is titled the organic amnesty law for institutional, political and social normalisation in Catalonia. Its beneficiaries include 309 people who face criminal lawsuits and 73 police officers who face criminal action over their conduct on the days before and after the second referendum.
Didier Reynders, the EU commissioner for justice, said this morning he has received a draft of the amnesty legislation and that the European Commission is in the process of analysing the text.
Pedro Sánchez also took aim at Alberto Núñez Feijóo for calling for a fresh election.
I’m really struck by all this stuff about an electoral repetition, Mr Feijóo. I don’t understand why you’re so keen to hold a new election if you won the last one. It’s very odd. But I’ll tell you something, Mr Feijóo – and that’s that election results should be respected and elections shouldn’t be repeated.
Pedro Sánchez is now speaking again, responding to Alberto Núñez Feijóo. The acting prime minister criticised Feijóo for, in his view, lacking a positive political project.
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Opinion: The Guardian view: Pedro Sánchez is right to gamble again
Mr Sánchez will have his work cut out to reconcile mainstream Spanish opinion, and many members of the judiciary, to his deal with Mr Puigdemont and company. But as a bulwark against such extremism on the far right, his continued presence in power will be good news for the country, and for Europe.
Read the full editorial.
Opinion: Spain is losing trust in politics. This backroom Catalan deal won’t restore it
María Ramírez, a journalist and deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, writes:
If a lack of trust in public institutions poses a real threat to democracy, I fail to see how a cynical backroom deal perceived to be in the interests of the few – one of whom is Puigdemont, a very unpopular figure nationally – can help restore it. Being seen to compromise the independence of the judiciary is also unhelpful at a time when there is no plan for broader institutional reform. At the same time, hyperbolic, self-serving rhetoric by rightwing politicians is only likely to further fuel public discontent.
Given the refusal of the two main parties to lend each other votes or put democracy ahead of partisan interests, neither Sánchez nor his leftwing allies had many options in seeking to form a government that excluded the far right. But once he is returned as prime minister by parliament, he should endeavour as a priority to address mounting public distrust and anger.
Read the full story here.
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What is the Catalan amnesty deal agreed by Pedro Sánchez?
Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers party (PSOE), is all but certain to secure a second term as prime minister during an investiture vote in congress on Thursday.
His return to office comes almost four months after July’s inconclusive general election and has hinged on the creation of a controversial Catalan amnesty law that has angered many people in Spain – not least rightwing parties and judges.
What does the amnesty cover and to whom does it apply?
The draft bill, tabled by the PSOE on Monday, is titled the organic amnesty law for institutional, political and social normalisation in Catalonia. According to the Sánchez camp, it is intended to live up to its name. It covers the period from 1 January 2012 to 13 November 2023, so its scope includes the symbolic, consultative and unilateral independence referendum of November 2014 and the one that came three years later and was followed by a unilateral declaration of regional independence.
Its beneficiaries include 309 people who face criminal lawsuits and 73 police officers who face criminal action over their conduct on the days before and after the second referendum. It will also apply to two cases of alleged terrorism involving the pro-Catalan independence direct action groups the Committees for the Defence of the Republic, which blocked roads and rail lines, and the Tsunami Democràtic platform, which occupied Barcelona airport in October 2019.
Read the full Q&A here.
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People’s party member Esteban González Pons did not hide his feelings at today’s debate.
Yesterday, he took the extreme step of likening the amnesty to the kind of legislation introduced during the fascist Franco dictatorship that lasted for almost four decades, reports the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent Sam Jones.
The law “declares a decade of impunity in Catalonia because all the crimes committed in Catalonia over the course of a decade will be covered by the amnesty, from terrorism to political corruption,” he said. “As such, anything that happens in other parts of Spain is a crime but anything can be forgiven in Catalonia. If you’ll allow me to say so, this is the kind of law we saw during Francoism.”
Some photos from today:
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'No to amnesty,' Feijóo says
Speaking at the investiture debate, the conservative People’s party’s Alberto Núñez Feijóo made a case against the amnesty deal reached between the socialists and Junts.
No to amnesty, no to ignoring the victims of separatism, no to erasing crimes of corruption and terrorism.
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The conservative People’s party’s Alberto Núñez Feijóo is now beginning his speech in the investiture debate.
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The People’s party (PP) politician Miguel Tellado pushed back against Pedro Sánchez’s messaging, arguing that the acting prime minister is not addressing the real problems concerning citizens and that his agenda divides Spain.
Mas allá del ruido, Sánchez habla de lo de siempre: más impuestos, más desigualdad, más propaganda.
— Miguel Tellado (@Mtelladof) November 15, 2023
No trata los problemas reales que preocupan a los ciudadanos.
Propone una agenda sectaria. Una agenda de confrontación que divide a los españoles.#EspañaNoSeRinde
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Pedro Sánchez argued at the investiture debate that the conservative People’s party (PP) and far-right Vox party’s problem is not the amnesty but that they “don’t accept” the outcome of Spain’s July election.
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Police barricaded the streets outside Spain’s parliament in Madrid today due to the investiture debate, Reuters reported.
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Photos from today’s investiture debate in Spain.
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Sánchez makes case for new government
In a lengthy speech during the investiture debate, the Spanish socialist leader, Pedro Sánchez, outlined his policy agenda and defended a controversial amnesty deal reached with Catalan separatist party Junts.
The amnesty will not be an attack on the constitution, he emphasised, but a sign of its strength.
Sánchez began his speech by saying that street demonstrations are part of democracy, conveying his respect to those who have expressed their views peacefully.
There is only democracy within the constitution, he stressed.
Sánchez touched upon climate change, migration, Ukraine and the Middle East, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Spain is recuperating its international weight, he said.
The country’s progressive forces understand citizens’ problems and that if the correct decisions are made, Spain and Europe have a bright future, he added.
In his speech, Sánchez also took aim at the conservative People’s party (PP), accusing it of opening up to the far right. The socialist politician also argued against normalising the far right.
He promised to continue providing free public transport for unemployed people and people under the age of 30.
His speech was briefly interrupted due to noise in the chamber.
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Spain’s investiture debate will start soon.
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EU Commission analysing amnesty legislation, commissioner says
Didier Reynders, the EU commissioner for justice, said this morning he has received a draft of Spain’s amnesty legislation and that the European Commission is in the process of analysing the text.
Now that we have the text, we’ll have such an assessment, and then I will have a contact with the Spanish government.
A meeting will take place once the analysis is done, he said.
The goal is to have a dialogue and to be sure that we are on track.
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Laura Borràs, of the Catalan separatist party Junts’, cautioned in a television appearance that the amnesty law arises from an investiture pact and that the socialists’ Pedro Sánchez should be worried because, in her view, he will last as long as his word lasts.
📺 Presidenta @LauraBorras al @cafedidees_rtve: “La llei d’amnistia sorgeix d’un pacte d’investidura, no de legislatura. Pedro Sánchez hauria d’estar preocupat: durarà el que duri la seva paraula. Ara comença una negociació que tindrà en compte avenç per avenç i compliment per… pic.twitter.com/JTmbF9UGkJ
— Junts per Catalunya🎗 (@JuntsXCat) November 15, 2023
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Amid tensions about Spain’s planned amnesty and investiture debate, the country’s socialist party wrote on social media this morning that democracy is when one doesn’t have an absolute majority, one has to speak with others.
Democracia es que cuando uno no tiene mayoría absoluta, tiene que hablar con diferentes.
— PSOE (@PSOE) November 15, 2023
Hay una mayoría parlamentaria que quiere avances en este país, y este partido ha sido capaz de hablar con otros para dar estabilidad a España.@isabelrguez en @EspejoPublico… pic.twitter.com/U9x2mX8J8K
Supreme Court rejects Vox petition to suspend investiture
Spain’s supreme court said today it is rejecting a request by the far-right Vox party to suspend the investiture plenary session.
Vox’s leader, Santiago Abascal, had said earlier that he hoped the judges would use “all the tools at their disposal” to stop what he deems a “coup d’état”.
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Spain’s People’s party urges EU to intervene over Catalan amnesty law
Spain’s conservative People’s party (PP) has urged the EU to weigh in on the controversial Catalan amnesty law tabled by the ruling socialists, claiming it demands the kind of action the bloc has previously taken when concerns over the rule of law have arisen in Poland, Hungary and Romania.
Rightwing Spanish parties have accused Pedro Sánchez, the PSOE leader and caretaker prime minister, of debasing democracy and using the amnesty as a cynical ploy to remain in power. About 70% of Spanish voters are opposed, and huge demonstrations against the move were held across Spain on Sunday.
The PP stepped up its attack on the proposed law as Spain’s congress prepared for the investiture debate that is almost certain to result in Sánchez winning a new term in office on Thursday.
The PP’s leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said Spain was facing “an unprecedented situation” and called on the EU to step in.
“Tomorrow’s investiture is a done deal … and the amnesty is a direct payment for the votes needed for the [PSOE] to form a government,” Feijóo told reporters in Madrid on Tuesday morning. “And who pays for that? The Spanish people, but also, in my opinion, Europe, because the deterioration of a democracy like Spain’s … will obviously have consequences for European institutions.”
Read the full story here.
Catalonia’s two main pro-independence parties – the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the more hardline Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) – only agreed to back Pedro Sánchez after he accepted their demands for an amnesty.
A recent poll suggested that 70% of Spanish voters are against the amnesty law, which has prompted large demonstrations.
And recent days have also seen Vox politicians attend protests outside the PSOE’s headquarters in Madrid that have ended in skirmishes between police and fascist and neo-fascist groups.
Acting Spanish PM on verge of second term after controversial Catalan amnesty deal
Pedro Sánchez is on the verge of winning congressional backing for a second term as Spain’s prime minister after securing the support of Catalan separatist parties by agreeing to a controversial amnesty for hundreds of people involved in the failed push for regional independence six years ago.
Wednesday’s investiture debate – which will be followed by a vote on Thursday that the socialist leader already has the numbers to win – is expected to bring an end to months of political deadlock following July’s inconclusive snap general election.
Although the conservative People’s party (PP) narrowly defeated Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE), it has proved unable to form a government, even with the backing of the far-right Vox party and other, smaller groupings.
The PSOE and its partners in the leftwing Sumar coalition have managed to secure the necessary votes by enlisting the support of Catalan and Basque nationalists and other regional parties.
Negotiations, however, have not been cheap or easy. Catalonia’s two main pro-independence parties – the pragmatic Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the more hardline Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) – only agreed to back Sánchez after he accepted their demands for an amnesty.
Read the full story here.
Welcome to the blog
Good morning and welcome back to the Europe blog.
Today we will be looking at the latest developments in Spain, where Pedro Sánchez is close to securing backing for a second term as prime minister, after months of uncertainty, negotiations and tensions.
Send comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.
