Catalan party "Junts" leaves Sanchez's coalition over unfulfilled promises

An ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Junts party, announced its withdrawal from the coalition due to unfulfilled promises regarding Catalonia's powers, language policy, and amnesty for leaders of the independence movement. Junts leader Carles Puigdemont announced a party member vote on the final decision, writes UNN with reference to EurActiv.

Details

Catalan ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Junts party, on Monday decided to "unanimously sever ties" with the ruling Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) over "unfulfilled promises" made in exchange for supporting the Spanish Prime Minister's re-election in 2023.

During a party meeting in Perpignan, France, party president Carles Puigdemont announced the break with Prime Minister Sánchez's party. He cited as the main reason the government's failure to transfer key powers to Catalonia regarding migration, border control and taxation, to include the Catalan language in the list of official EU languages, and, most importantly, to fully apply the controversial amnesty law to the embezzlement charges brought against him, the exiled leader of the Catalan separatists.

Junts party members will decide on Wednesday and Thursday whether to support the proposal to break the coalition with the socialist government.

Addition

Spain's Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Puigdemont, who resides in Waterloo, Belgium, for alleged misuse of 1.6 million euros of public funds to finance the failed 2017 Catalan independence referendum.

However, Puigdemont has repeatedly challenged the court's decision, which ruled that the amnesty law, which frees participants in the Catalan independence movement between 2012 and 2023, does not apply to embezzlement charges. The Sánchez government pushed through this law last year in exchange for the political support of the Junts party, whose seven deputies currently form the basis of the fragile coalition.

Recall

In 2023, having received the support of the Catalan separatist parties Junts and the Republican Party of Catalonia (ERC), as well as other regional parties, Sánchez's socialists (PSOE) stated that they had enough support to win the vote.

There is no prosperity in discord, we must make a push for coexistence and forgiveness - Sánchez told lawmakers in Madrid.