Spain’s Prime Minister, socialist Pedro Sánchez, is optimistic that a proposal to revamp Catalonia’s financial model will gain substantial nationalist backing, permitting his party to wield power in a new regional government. In the previous regional election, the Catalan sector of the Socialist Party outshone other groups, including pro-independence organisation Together for Catalonia (JxCat) and the slightly more lenient Catalan Republican Left (ERC). Despite this, the Socialists were not able to secure a majority.
In recent times, Sánchez’s Socialist-based government has hinted at a potential shift towards creating an improved regional financial scheme for Catalonia. This idea appears to be designed to persuade the ERC into backing Salvador Illa, a Socialist, for the position of regional president. In a conversation with La Vanguardia newspaper, the Prime Minister revealed his plans for a one-of-a-kind scheme for Catalonia.
Catalonia holds a certain degree of autonomy, exercising control over areas such as education, healthcare, and having its own police force. However, the majority of its tax earnings are sent to Madrid and are then distributed among Spain’s 17 regions. A distinct system exists in the Basque Country and Navarre. Here, they house complete control over the money they generate via taxes. It is a model the ERC and other separatist Catalan groups have been pushing for as a stepping stone to independence.
But the ERC gave a lukewarm response to Sánchez’s proposal. Party spokesperson Raquel Sans stated that his proposal did not clearly illustrate a unique method for Catalonia. A meeting is expected to occur on Tuesday between representatives of the Socialists and ERC to ponder over Salvador Illa’s potential support in the imminent investiture vote in the Catalan parliament. But it is anything but certain if Illa will be present, or if he even has a chance of winning, during this debate and vote scheduled for the 25th of June.
Carles Puigdemont, the effective head of JxCat, plans to make a return to Spain, on the basis of an amnesty law, after living abroad for seven years, and has expressed his intention to establish a fresh government. Joe Rull, the speaker of the Parliament from JxCat, will be making the decision about who should stand in the election in the near future. New elections will be required if the setup of a new government fails.
The funding proposal obtained heavy criticism from those on the unionist right. Carmen Fúnez, a representative from the conservative Popular Party, criticized Mr Sánchez’s attempt to make all Spaniards finance the independence party through a financial scheme that she believes benefits a select few at the expense of the majority.