MADRID – The political party Sumar has drawn up an important document on a possible amnesty law. This would mainly benefit those convicted in connection with the illegal referendum of 1st October, 2017, in Catalonia.
The document was drawn up with the contribution of 20 lawyers. This was following a consultation in Brussels with Carles Puigdemont, the former president of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
The Investiture of Pedro Sánchez
According to the information, Carles Puigdemont, who currently resides in Belgium, would make this amnesty a condition for the support of his party Junts per Catalunya to the investiture of Pedro Sánchez. Pedro Sánchez was recently commissioned by King Felipe VI to form a government.
Disclosure in Barcelona
Yolanda Díaz announced in a recent interview on the Spanish television channel TVE that she will make the amnesty proposal public next Tuesday during an event at the Ateneo de Barcelona. She did not reveal any further details about the upcoming announcement. But she did stress that a “legal implementation” of the amnesty has taken place.
Response to criticism
Díaz acknowledged that the amnesty issue was not included in their election manifesto but recalled that other important measures such as the ERTE scheme, which saved many jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic, were also not included.
Political implications
The approval of the amnesty proposal would not only benefit Puigdemont; Pedro Sánchez could remain as president and Yolanda Díaz could become vice president. This would mean a continuation of a progressive coalition, although the influence of Junts per Catalunya, a conservative party, would be significant in major reforms such as budget laws.
A shared agenda
Yolanda Díaz denied that there is a discrepancy between the agendas of her party Sumar and those of the PSOE. She confirmed that she is working with Pedro Sánchez, and that her “Catalan agenda” has been shared. The topic of amnesty was also raised by Pedro Sánchez during the European Summit in Granada. There, he spoke about the start of talks on this sensitive topic.
A new political era
Both Sánchez and Díaz emphasise that the ultimate goal of these talks and the possible amnesty proposal is to put an end to the political conflict in Catalonia and usher in a new phase of political stability. We now have to wait for the formal presentation of the proposal by Yolanda Díaz next Tuesday.
Also read: Catalan nationalists: no support for Sánchez without amnesty
