Spain grants amnesty to Catalan leaders behind 2017 secession attempt

The AP reported that the Spanish parliament had approved an amnesty law for politicians involved in the illegal and failed attempt to secede Catalonia from Spain in 2017. "In a conflict that has lasted for centuries, we have won one battle," said Miriam Nogueras from the Catalan party Junts.

On Thursday, the leftist coalition government of Pedro Sanchez, two Catalan separatist parties, and other smaller groups voted for the law on "institutional, political, and social normalization in Catalonia." The conservative People's Party and the right-wing populist Vox opposed it. The law passed with a majority of 177 to 172 votes in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish parliament.

The amnesty could cover hundreds of people, including Carles Puigdemont, leader of the Together for Catalonia (Junts) party and organizer of the 2017 secession referendum. The Associated Press emphasized that higher courts will likely analyze the law now, and some experts believe the amnesty is unconstitutional.

The Senate rejected the bill on May 14, where opposition groups hold a majority, but Thursday's vote in the Congress of Deputies led to its passage.

The amnesty was one of the conditions set by Catalonian separatist groups for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez before they would support his new government in November 2023. Junts politicians, who have seven representatives in the 350-member Congress of Deputies, repeatedly warned Sanchez that the lack of an amnesty law could lead to early parliamentary elections in Spain.

"It’s truly a historic day. In a conflict that has lasted for centuries, we have won one battle," said Miriam Nogueras from the Junts party. The group indicated that the next goal would be to pressure the prime minister to withdraw his promise never to consent to a referendum on independence in Catalonia.

Meanwhile, in mid-May, groups demanding Catalonia's secession from Spain lost their majority in the regional parliament in Catalonia's regional elections. The Catalonian Socialist Party (PSC) won the elections, securing 42 seats in the 135-seat parliament. Previously, the group federated with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Spanish socialists (PSOE) had 33 deputies.

The likely premier of Catalonia will be the PSC leader Salvador Illa, who strengthened his position in politics as Spain's health minister during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Today, Catalonia has chosen its new path," Illa said in an evening address, referring to the last 14 years during which the regional parliament was dominated by deputies supporting secession.

The separatist party Together for Catalonia (Junts), led by Carles Puigdemont, took second place, increasing its hold by three seats to 35.

The biggest loser of the elections is the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), which had been in power in the region as part of a cabinet headed by Pere Aragones. The separatist group, which won the regional elections in 2021, came in third this time, securing only 20 seats, 13 fewer than before. Two weeks after the elections, new authorities have not yet been selected. The premier of Catalonia is still Pere Aragones.

Spanish political scientists unanimously agree that the election results, which saw nearly 58% of eligible voters participate, do not make it easier for PSC to form a new Catalan government.

According to TVE commentators, the most likely scenario is forming a coalition of centrist-left groups. Besides the Catalan socialists and ERC, the Comuns Sumar electoral bloc, which secured six seats on Sunday, would also be included.

The formation of a separatist coalition is unlikely. Even if the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy), which has four deputies, joined Junts and ERC, supporters of Catalonia’s secession could not count on a majority in parliament.

In February, the Madrid newspaper "El Debate" wrote that an investigation by Spanish services code-named "Voloh" revealed that just hours before the attempt to declare Catalonia's secession, the then-premier of this community met with Kremlin emissary Sergey Motin.

The meeting between Catalonia's premier Carles Puigdemont and Sergey Motin allegedly took place on October 27, 2017, in Barcelona. According to investigators, Motin, an expert in military affairs, allegedly discussed with the then-head of the Catalonian government the possibility of sending 10,000 soldiers from Russia to the region.

Spanish inspectors determined that Motin remained in Catalonia for several months after Puigdemont fled to Belgium following the failed secession attempt.