Amnesty for Catalonian Separatists – the Price Sánchez Must Pay for Leadership

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez discusses amnesty for Catalonian separatists in order to retain his status (Wikimedia Commons).

During an October 6 summit of European leaders in Granada, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke about an amnesty deal in the works between his government and Catalonian separatists. While there have been dialogues between Sánchez and the pro-independence parties for some time, Sánchez has until now avoided using the word “amnesty” to describe a potential deal between the two groups. Euractiv reports that in his time as prime minister, Sánchez has made multiple moves to appease the Catalonian independence movement, including pardoning the nine jailed leaders of the referendum in 2021, and more recently removing sedition from the criminal code.

Spain’s conservative Popular Party (PP), led by Alberto Nuñez Feijóo, won the most votes in the country’s general election on July 23, according to the BBC. However, the PP, in partnership with the far-right Vox party, only secured 172 of the 176 seats needed to gain a majority and could not form a coalition government in Parliament.

Sánchez, the head of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), has been Spain’s Prime Minister since 2018. The BBC writes  that he now has an opportunity to form a coalition and give himself a second term. However, the PSOE cannot solely rely on forming a coalition with the left-wing Sumar party; they must gain the additional support of the Basque and Catalonian regional parties to secure a majority in parliament. If Sánchez cannot form a majority coalition by November 27, the Spanish political process will force a repeat general election.

The lynchpin of Sánchez’s coalition government lies in the Catalonian pro-independence parties, Together for Catalonia (JxCat) and the Catalan Republican Left (ERC). Given their role as leading advocates in the referendum for independence in 2017, the two parties are demanding amnesty for Catalan separatists. For Catalonians, amnesty could cover over 1,400 people who have faced, or are still facing, criminal proceedings as a result of their actions pursuing independence, writes Politico. This includes the leader of the JxCat party, Carles Puigdemont, who was the president of Catalonia’s government during the referendum attempt in 2017. Following the dissolution of the government, Puigdemont fled to Belgium, according to France24. He is calling for the “complete abandonment of judicial proceedings” for all Catalonian separatists before JxCat endorses Sánchez’s government.

The head of the Sumar party and current deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz, met with Puigdemont to discuss the details of an amnesty deal. This is the first official meeting between Puigdemont and top Spanish officials since the 2017 referendum. Following this meeting Sumar proposed an amnesty deal that would pardon any criminal actions or administrative infractions related to self-determination in Catalonia since the start of 2013, writes elDiario.es. 

El Confidencial reports that in Granada, Sánchez stated that he is “aware of the proposal of other political parties in relation to the amnesty” and made it clear that the Sumar proposal has not been backed by PSOE. Whatever agreement made will be “absolutely transparent and public” and “within the framework of the constitution,” according to Sánchez. 

The declaration of amnesty, a controversial approach, has been criticized by both right-wing parties and members of PSOE. Critics argue that the constitutional repercussions and risks to national stability in Spain with amnesty are too high to bear, and that Sánchez should not exchange amnesty for his seat in parliament. DW writes that 40,000 people marched against granting amnesty to the Catalonian separatists on September 24, calling for Sánchez to resign. Before the general election, Sánchez’s government had considered amnesty unconstitutional, according to the BBC. However, El Mundo reports that in his speech at Granada, Sánchez said amnesty “is still a way of trying to overcome the judicial consequences of the situation that occurred in Spain with one of the worst territorial crises that we have experienced.”