Relief for Spain's socialists as Catalan amnesty bill clears parliamentary hurdle
A general view of Cibeles square as people take part in a protest, after Spain's socialists reached a deal with the Catalan separatist Junts party for government support, which includes amnesties for people involved with Catalonia's failed 2017 independence bid, in Madrid, Spain, on Nov 18, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Susana Vera)
BARCELONA: Spain's lower house of parliament on Thursday (Mar 14) approved an amnesty bill for Catalan separatists, clearing a major hurdle for a law set to define Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's second term - and one that has led to protests and annoyed judges.
Approval for the bill is positive news for Sanchez after several political setbacks including a COVID face-mask scandal in recent weeks. The bill was approved by 178 votes to 172.
The legislation must still be cleared by the conservative-dominated Senate and the conservative People's Party has said it will try to block it. But even if the upper house were to veto it, that veto could later be overridden by the lower house.
The socialist-led minority coalition government hopes that securing consensus on the controversial bill will help cement its alliance with the small parties it relies on to get legislation passed.
Nonetheless, it decided on Wednesday not to send an already delayed 2024 budget bill to parliament after Catalonia unexpectedly called an election for May 12, amid fears the regional political dispute that prompted that move could spill over to the national congress and hurt its own support.
In January, in a humiliating defeat for the socialists, Junts - the Catalan party that sought the amnesty bill in return for backing Sanchez's new term last year - voted against it because it could not guarantee certain separatists, including self-exiled leader Carles Puigdemont, would be covered by it.
Last week, after weeks of talks, the Socialists, Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya party said they had reached a fresh deal.
Under it, a probe of separatists including Puigdemont in Spain over alleged terrorism for leading an activist group that staged a 2019 raid on Barcelona airport is sidestepped. The bill uses a broader European definition of terrorism with the intention of ensuring those involved can still be covered by the amnesty even if found guilty in Spain.
Junts and some socialists say the prosecution and others are being led by conservative judges seeking to block the amnesty and spoil an improved relationship between the national government and Catalonia. Some judges and Spain's conservative opposition argue the socialists' actions imperil the rule of law.
In the latest draft of the amnesty bill, terrorism is now defined by a 2017 EU directive and would have to have caused serious human rights violations, something that does not appear to have happened in the case facing Puigdemont.
Junts' officials say around 150 and 200 additional people should benefit from the latest amnesty bill, and 1,500 people overall, depending on judges' interpretations.
The bill will cover all events related to Catalonia's separatist drive from 2011, including an independence referendum in 2017 which was declared illegal by courts.
