Junts per Catalunya warn Sánchez he must comply with investiture agreement

Pro-independence Junts per Catalunya have expressed their displeasure with Pedro Sánchez's references to the amnesty law as "forgiveness" in his investiture debate speech.

Junts spokesperson Míriam Nogueras held a meeting in Congress with the secretary of organization of the Socialist Party Santos Cerdán in which she criticized Sánchez's references to the Catalan independence push.

This comes just hours ahead of the vote on Sánchez's bid to be named Prime Minister of Spain for another term. 

In her speech in the Spanish Congress late on Wednesday evening, Junts spokesperson Míriam Nogueras struck a firm and serious tone, warning Sánchez not to try his luck with the party, and calling for him to recognize the roots of the territorial crisis in Catalonia.

Nogueras asked whether the potential new PM would comply with the 1,486-word agreement between the two parties to support Sánchez’s PM bid, and warned that Sánchez had to approach the Catalan conflict in a "new manner." 

Nogueras said the amnesty law was a “form of de-judicialization" in a speech that focused on the historic political discrepancies between Spain and the pro-independence side of Catalonia. “The historic political conflict between two nations has taken center stage in Spanish politics. 

“For the legislature to move forward, our nation, Catalonia, needs certain things to happen,” Nogueras said, before citing national recognition and an end to the fiscal deficit and keeping taxes in Catalonia.  

The pro-independence MP called for a “change of paradigm from a relationship of subordination to one of equals,” and stated that no attempts at resolving the conflict with negotiation has worked before.  

For her party, Nogueras said the mandate of the 2017 independence referendum is still in place. She then showed her frustration that Puigdemont wanted to negotiate after the self-determination vote but the response he was met with was “repression” by the police, the courts, and the media.

For Nogueras, Sánchez must recognize the “political conflict” for just that, and be ready and willing to comply with the investiture agreement with a fresh approach.

“We are aware of the risks, the difficulties and the deep discrepancies,” Nogueras said. The Socialists “have not ceased to be the party of article 155 and we are the party of the strength of the referendum and the declaration of independence.” 

Sánchez: Coexistence has returned to Catalonia

It's expected that the vote will be held on Thursday and that the Socialist candidate will win a clear majority with 179 votes in favor thanks to the support of coalition partners Sumar, as well as Junts, pro-independence Esquerra Republicana, Basque parties Bildu and PNB, the Galician National Bloc, and Coaliciones Canarias. 

Pedro Sánchez pledged to "comply with the agreement reached" with Junts, which represents an "opportunity" to open "a new stage" and find "political solutions to the conflict."

"We will not allow this hope to be dashed," Sánchez said in response to Nogueras.

The acting PM said he is "aware" that "wounds take time to heal," but he is convinced that the agreement between the parties "will bear fruit" if both are able to keep negotiations alive and "listen" the other side.

During his inauguration speech, the Socialist candidate emphasized that, at present, and thanks to his commitment to dialogue, the Constitution is now being complied with "in each and every territory."

"It is undeniable that this method is working, with difficulties, but it is working," he said during his speech where he also pointed out that "where before there was a breach of the Constitution," there is now respect for the law.

"That's why we pardoned the leaders of the independence push and promoted the use of the co-official languages," Sánchez said, while contrasting the situation in Catalonia in 2017 with the current day. "Coexistence has returned to the streets and dialogue has returned to the institutions," he added.

The Socialist leader defends the unity of Spain but also emphasized that, unlike the conservative People's Party, his government believes that it is necessary to engage in "dialogue," "reconciliation," and "forgiveness."