The socialist leader Pedro Sanchez This Wednesday he defended the amnesty for the Catalan independentists involved in the secessionist process in that Spanish region in 2017, a measure that he said is “in the name of Spain, in the interest of Spain and in defense of concord between Spaniards.” Sánchez addressed Congress in the parliamentary debate for his investiture as head of the Spanish Executive to talk about one of the most controversial issues of his pacts with other parties to gather support, and which has generated significant controversy with massive demonstrations against it in the last days.
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The amnesty lawalready registered by the socialists in the Lower House, directly affects the Catalan independentistsamong them the former regional president of Catalonia Carles Puigdemonta fugitive from Spanish Justice in Brussels.
This rule, described as unconstitutional by the opposition, will annul “criminal, administrative and accounting liability” of all those people linked to the preparation, execution and consequences of the sovereignty process in Catalonia for a decade, between January 1, 2012 and November 13, 2023.
In his speech today, Sánchez made it clear that the amnesty will be approved “under light and stenographers, with total transparency”: “It will not be an attack on the Constitution of ’78 (the first of democracy in Spain), but quite the opposite, one more example of its strength and validity.”
In the face of the Catalan independence conflict, the acting head of the Spanish Executive said that two approaches are possible: the path “of imposition and tension”, which he attributed to the conservative Popular Party (PP)or “the path of dialogue, forgiveness and understanding”, which is what is being undertaken now.
This amnestyhe pointed Sanchezis driven “by the well-founded hope” that it will help “overcome a crisis of which no one can be proud” and that it contributes “to improving coexistence.”
He socialist candidate for the presidency of the Spanish Government He cited the Catalan poet Salvador Espriu in his speech, prescribing “diàleg” (dialogue, in Catalan), before announcing the amnesty “in the name of Spain”, and to defend “concord”, a word that, he recalled, is expressed in the same way in all the co-official languages of the Spanish State.
Nevertheless, Sánchez has acknowledged that this is a measure “that may not be shared by many citizens.” and that he is “perfectly aware of it.”
”I want to tell all of them that I greatly respect their opinions and emotions. But the circumstances are what they are and it is necessary to make a virtue of necessity, for reasons of general interest,” he noted.
Even, Sanchez He went one step further and indicated that the amnesty “will be good for the country’s economy,” all after stating that the economic powers that “sponsor” the right and the extreme right are not “concerned” about this measure.
Support for Palestine
In his speech, Pedro Sanchez This Wednesday he committed to working both on Spain like in Europe for Palestine to be recognized as a State if he is re-elected as president of the Government.
The candidate for the Presidency of Government of Spain He pointed out that this is his “first commitment” for the next legislature, which he will be able to carry out if it is chosen one in the vote that will take place tomorrow, Thursday and in which he must obtain the majority support (established in 176 deputies out of a total of 350) of the Chamber.
In his speech, Sánchez demanded that the international community endorse the consideration of Palestine as a State, a demand “justly demanded by the Palestinian people” and that the socialist leader sees as a solution to the conflict.
He also demanded from Israel an “immediate ceasefire” in Palestine, a peace conference so that “diplomacy can make way” and the arrival of humanitarian aid.
Sánchez rejected “the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank” and denounced that international humanitarian law “is clearly not being respected,” while saying he stood with Israel in the “rejection and response” to the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7 and demanded the release of the hostages.
Absolute majority
Sánchez, who came second behind the conservative Alberto Núñez Feijóo in the July legislative elections, called after the left’s debacle in the May municipal elections, has secured the necessary support to continue in power.
Unlike the leader of the right, who did not obtain the votes to be inaugurated, Sánchez, known for his ability to survive politically, obtained the support of numerous political parties in recent weeks.
Sánchez has the votes of the radical left, with which he has governed for three years, with whom he committed to increasing the minimum wage again and reducing the length of the working week from 40 to 37.5 hours.
The 51-year-old socialist obtained the support of the Basque parties PNV and Bildu equally, but also those of the Catalan independence groups, Together for Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont’s party, and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC).
In total, he is guaranteed 179 votes in favor of the 350 deputies of Congress, above the absolute majority necessary to be invested.
To convince the Catalan parties, Sánchez had to make important concessions, the most controversial of which was an amnesty law for pro-independence supporters prosecuted by the courts, mainly for their involvement in the attempted secession of Catalonia in 2017, one of the worst. political crises of contemporary Spain.
deep division
This measure, to which the socialist was opposed in the past, will allow “healing wounds” and “resolving the existing political conflict in Catalonia,” alleged the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, on Monday night.
The amnesty, demanded by Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan regional president installed in Brussels since 2017 to evade Spanish justice, deeply divides Spanish society.
On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated throughout the country against the amnesty, called by the Popular Party (PP) of Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
And for ten days there have been daily rallies led by the extreme right in front of the headquarters of the Socialist Party in Madrid, which have sometimes degenerated into violence.
The amnesty “weakens the State, causes a serious social fracture and rewards those who have publicly declared themselves enemies of Spain,” said Miguel Tellado, a PP spokesman, who invited Sánchez to leave Spain “in a trunk,” in reference to to Puigdemont’s flight in 2017.
The PP, as well as the far-right party Vox, which calls on Spaniards to “resistance” against the “Sanchez coup”, plans to multiply judicial appeals against the amnesty.
For the left, certain that this amnesty respects the Constitution, these resources will not suspend the measure.
The amnesty bill, presented on Monday in Parliament and which Sánchez hopes will be approved in the coming weeks, has also raised concern in the judicial sector and even in Brussels, which asked Madrid for “detailed information” about the scope. of the measure.
