Spain’s Socialists inch closer to forming government after deal with Catalan party

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain’s Socialist Party came one step closer to forming a government Thursday after striking a deal with the left-wing Catalan separatist party ERC.

“Today, it is Catalonia that wins,” said Oriol Junqueras, the party’s president, who was formerly imprisoned for his role in the region’s 2017 independence push, announcing the deal.

In one major concession, Spain’s left-wing bloc agreed to write off a €15 billion ($15.93 billion) chunk of Catalonia’s debt to Madrid. Although the Socialist Party said the debt forgiveness could apply to regions across Spain, Catalonia stands to benefit the most.

Spain’s Socialists also vowed to give Catalonia control of the regional rail service.

The ERC focused its negotiations on securing more economic concessions for Catalonia, while its rival Catalan separatist party, the Together for Catalonia party headed by exiled leader Carles Puigdemont, has focused its energy on negotiations around amnesty for separatists.

But after a long meeting with the party leadership Thursday, Puigdemont’s party refused to back the Socialist’s offer.

Junqueras, who saw the amnesty offer, told the media that Spain is offering “complete amnesty” for Catalans with charges related to separatist behavior.

Right-wing forces are already outraged by the prospects of these deals. On Thursday night, Popular Party leaders slammed the idea of debt forgiveness and threatened to appeal the mechanism in court.

Earlier Thursday, former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, notable for joining the US invasion of Iraq, called Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a “danger to the Spanish constitution.”

A group of conservative judges also announced, without seeing the details of the amnesty agreement, that it was “the beginning of the end” of Spain’s democracy because of its interference in judicial decisions.

Whatever the case, Sanchez and his left-wing coalition may need to go even further to satisfy Together for Catalonia if they want a second term in government.

In July’s elections, no clear political force came close to winning the needed parliamentary majority. Regionalist powers like Catalan and Basque separatists emerged as the kingmakers.

If Sanchez fails to get their support, Spain will face fresh national elections. In that case, all the promises made to separatists so far could vanish, depending on the outcome.