Catalan separatist lawmakers have dealt a blow to the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez by voting against an amnesty bill amid disagreements over its scope between the ruling Socialists and a Catalan separatist party.
The bill, which was rejected on Tuesday by 179 votes to 171, will now return to a parliamentary committee for further debate and could potentially be brought back for another vote in the lower house.
Last year, Sanchez agreed to put forward the bill in exchange for parliamentary support from two small Catalan separatist parties. However, the Catalan Junts voted against the bill after failing to reach a last-minute deal with Sanchez’s Socialist Workers’ Party.
The Junts insisted on removing all exceptions related to “terrorism” from the bill, as some of the party’s politicians are currently under investigation by courts on alleged charges. They also pushed for the return of Carles Puigdemont, their former leader, who currently resides in Belgium as a fugitive.
Spain’s Supreme Court seeks Puigdemont on charges of disobedience and embezzlement, with lower courts investigating him and others for possible “terrorism” charges.
Junts member Miriam Nogueras stated, “We will keep negotiating with a margin of 15 days more… There is no reason to approve an amnesty law with holes in it.” She noted that the Socialists warned them the proposed amendments “could mean that the amnesty law runs into trouble in Europe,” but they were prepared for that.
Socialist Justice Minister Felix Bolanos expressed dismay, calling it “absolutely incomprehensible that Junts should vote against a law it had agreed on” and criticized their alliance with right-wing parties seeking their imprisonment.
The amnesty bill has been contentious in Spain, facing criticism from conservative and far-right opposition parties representing about half of the country’s population. It also faces opposition from many in the judiciary and the police, including several top figures from Sanchez’s party.
Even if the bill had passed, it would still require approval in the Senate, where the conservative leading opposition, the Popular Party, holds an absolute majority and has pledged to stall the bill and challenge it in court.