Conservative PP prepares Senate reform to obstruct Catalan amnesty bill 

Spain's conservative People's Party (PP) plans to amend the rules of procedure of the Senate, where it holds a majority, to change the regulation on urgent bills.   

Currently, the Senate has 20 calendar days to consider such bills, but the proposed reform would allow the chamber to decide on a case-by-case basis whether a bill requires urgent processing, potentially prolonging and hindering the legislative process.  

The proposal comes after Spain's acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Catalan President Pere Aragonès agreed on an amnesty bill for all Catalan pro-independence figures involved in organizing the 2017 self-determination referendum.    

The amnesty law was a condition for Catalan pro-independence parties to support Pedro Sanchez's candidacy for prime minister.   

However, if the Popular Party succeeds in reforming the Senate's rules on urgent bills, the processing of an amnesty bill could be prolonged and hindered if it is not considered urgent.  

"The specific purpose of this regulatory reform is none other than to provide greater opportunities for the rigor and quality of the legislative function of the Senate," argues the PP proposal on Senate rules.