Spain's Catalonia Calls Snap Election for May 12 After Proposed Regional Budget Was Rejected

Catalan government head Pere Aragones announced on Wednesday that Spain's Catalonia region will hold an early election on May 12 after the regional parliament denied the separatist minority government's budget proposal.

The national politics of Spain may be affected by the early election of 135 members of the regional parliament since Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez depends on the Catalan separatist parties Junts and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) to pass legislation.

Catalonia Calls Early Election

Catalan regional president Pere Aragones addresses a press conference following his meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister at the Generalitat Palace in Barcelona, on December 21, 2023.
(Photo : JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

During a brief press conference, Aragones, a supporter of the region's independence from Spain, said, "I have decided to call elections for the Catalan parliament for May 12," blaming opposition MPs of "irresponsibility.

Catalan separatism has dominated Spanish politics in the past decade.

Aragones, a moderate separatist from the left-wing ERC party, lost his majority in the Catalan parliament when the rival separatist party JxCat resigned from an alliance in October 2022. JxCat accused the regional president of not doing enough to achieve independence from Madrid.

The decision to dissolve parliament was made in advance of a vote by the national parliament on Thursday to offer amnesty to those charged with involvement in Catalonia's unsuccessful 2017 independence bid, which JxCat spearheaded.

Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez introduced the amnesty law in exchange for JxCat's crucial parliamentary support after his party lost the July general elections.

Aragones has stated that he planned to hold his position until the end of the current legislature. On Wednesday, he said that the blockages among the political groups in the parliament are not making this possible.

Thousands Rally in Madrid Over Catalan Amnesty Bill

On Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid to demand Sanchez's resignation in opposition to an amnesty law that the Spanish government negotiated with Catalan independence parties this week.

Sanchez vowed last year to enact an amnesty absolving those convicted for their roles in Catalonia's unsuccessful 2017 independence campaign in return for the hardline Catalan separatist party JxCat's critical legislative backing.

Around 15,000 protested in the heart of Madrid's historic district in Cibeles Square, waving Spanish flags and shouting, "Sanchez, resign."

Some carried a big banner that read, in English, "Spain is no longer a democracy. It's beginning to be a dictatorship. SOS Europe," featuring Sanchez with a Hitler mustache.

Right-wing and far-right parties attended the demonstration organized by civil groups on Thursday after the parliament's justice committee adopted the proposed amnesty law.

In July's inconclusive general election, Sanchez's Socialists could not achieve a majority, and his precarious left-wing minority administration requires backing from other parties to pass legislation.

Furthermore, MPs rejected the first amnesty bill in January. JxCat MPs said that the draft did not protect all key individuals, starting with the exiled former leader of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont.