Supporters of the conservative opposition party, Partido Popular (PP), traveled from all over Spain to participate in a march in Madrid against the socialist government’s plans to grant amnesty to Catalan separatists who forced the region’s independence in 2017. Authorities estimated that 40,000 people attended the march, Reuters reports.
Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister whose party finished second in the July elections, needs the support of the “Together for Catalonia” party, which has seven parliamentarians, in order to form a majority to stay in power. The party was founded by Carles Puigdemont, the president of the Catalonia region at the time of the declaration of independence in an unrecognized referendum by Madrid.
Puigdemont fled the country and is sought by Spain for attempting secession. He has called for an end to all legal actions against Catalan separatists as a condition for supporting a Sanchez government.
Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the PP leader who won the most votes on July 23, stated that he would never accept amnesty requests for the organizers of the 2017 independence referendum in Catalonia.
Closing the criminal cases against the separatists would be equivalent to granting amnesty to “those who conspired for a coup,” the conservative leader told supporters at the Madrid rally.
Gregorio Casteneda, a 72-year-old retiree who traveled to Madrid from Santander, said he made the 450-kilometer journey to express his opposition to any amnesty.
“I am not in favor of the government we have. For me, it is a disaster that will ultimately divide Spain,” he told Reuters.
Pedro Sanchez held his own political rally in Gava, near the regional capital of Catalonia, Barcelona, on Sunday. He did not mention amnesty but stated that socialists want to heal the social divisions generated by the Catalan crisis. “We are trying to turn the page,” he told supporters.
In 2021, Sanchez granted pardons to the nine separatists who were imprisoned for their role in promoting independence.
Feijoo will have the first opportunity to become prime minister on September 27, but his chances of obtaining a majority in the parliament are seen as slim, as the PP opposes any concessions to separatists. If Feijoo fails, Sanchez will receive the mandate to try to gain support in parliament.
