Spain: Puigdemont calls price for help with government formation

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He also called for “respect for the democratic legitimacy of separatism”. His party is ready to negotiate a “historic compromise” that will address all aspects of the conflict and give guarantees of agreements, he told journalists in Brussels on Tuesday. After parliamentary elections in July, it is difficult to form a new government in Spain and Puigdemont is seen as a king-maker.

Puigdemont added that he did not want to reveal the ultimate goals of the government formation negotiations. Although Puigdemont indirectly raised the issue of a new referendum on Catalonia’s secession from Spain, he did not explicitly make it a precondition for government formation talks.

“The Catalan people made a decision in the 2017 independence referendum and only a referendum agreed with the state can change this mandate,” said Puigdemont. In the referendum of October 1, 2017, which was declared illegal, a majority voted for independence. Shortly afterwards, Puigdemont had fled abroad. Other separatist leaders were sentenced to long prison terms, but have since been pardoned.

«Discover all democratic solutions»

Forming a government after the snap elections on July 23 is difficult. The leader of the conservative People’s Party PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, is currently trying to win a majority. Although he received the most votes in the election, his chances of being elected Prime Minister in the House of Commons on September 27 are considered slim. This is mainly due to his possible coalition partner, the right-wing populist Vox, with whom separatist parties such as the Puigdemont junks do not want to sit at the same table.

Should Feijóo fail, the second-place finisher in the election, Socialist and acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, would be next. He could get a majority if supported by other smaller regional parties and Puigdemont. The day before, Minister of Labor Yolanda Díaz had already spoken to Puigdemont in Brussels. Both agreed that they wanted to “examine all democratic solutions to defuse the political conflict (in Catalonia)”, as the communiqué said. For Sánchez, Puigdemont’s demand for a new independence referendum would be difficult to meet, as it could cost him many votes in the rest of the country. (SDA)

Source:Blick