In Spain, the Catalan independence movement suffocates Pedro Sánchez: self-determination referendum or “colorín colorado”

Two months after having made possible the re-election of Pedro Sánchez as president of Spain, the Catalan independence movement he corners him.

While they refine the scope of the amnesty law with which crimes will disappear committed by those who attempted to declare the Catalan republic in 2017 – a bargaining chip agreed with Sánchez so as not to hinder his re-election -, separatism he asks to the national government to transfer migration management to Catalonia.

AND threatens him: if a self-determination referendum is not agreed upon, “colorín colorado”.

This is equivalent to saying that if Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE, the majority party in the current government coalition, does not give in to the demands of the independence movement, the Catalans will withdraw their parliamentary support.

The nationalists are part of what they call the Spaniards “the investment block”: the eight political formations that in November last year allowed Sánchez to collect 179 votes in favor – the absolute majority – in Congress to be re-elected president.

But if the Catalans left that bloc, the chances of Parliament approving the Executive’s proposals would be in danger and governability would be threatened.

Immigration control

The separatists of Together for Cataloniathe party led by former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont –considered a fugitive from Spanish justice for having fled the country after declaring the independence of Catalonia in 2017 -, a few days ago they allowed the approval in Congress of two decrees of the coalition chaired by Sánchez in exchange for the request for the transfer to Catalonia of migratory skills.

“An organic law will be drawn up so that the Generalitat (the Catalan regional government) has the necessary powers to assume the global management of immigration,” explained the general secretary of Junts, Jordi Turull.

And he added: “Thanks to this agreement, the Generalitat will be able to achieve global immigration management in Cataloniawith decision-making capacity on issues such as migratory flows or integration and linguistic policies”.

However, both immigration and border control They are areas of the state on which only the Spanish government can make decisions which, in turn, are not arbitrary or capricious but must adapt to the agreements agreed between the 27 countries that make up the European Union.

What the autonomous government of the Catalan Generalitat can administer, like that of the other communities that make up Spain social assistance for immigrants on issues such as housing, healthcare and education.

“Last year, an agreement was reached at European level, after many years, for a new pact on immigration and asylum,” President Sánchez said in an interview with National Radio this week. In Spain, everything that has to do with border control and illegal immigration policies resides in the general administration of the State.” That is, it cannot be transferred to local governments.

Pressure for a referendum

“We want that, for all Catalan immigrants, their reference institution is the Generalitat,” insisted the general secretary of Junts.

Although his party, a right-wing pro-independence force, is not part of the current Catalan government, in the hands of the republican left of Catalonia, Turull stressed that Junts expects Sánchez to delegate “overall management” of immigration.

It was Turull himself who, however, put the referendum on self-determination back on the table that the Catalan independence movement asks of the national government.

“We are the first to say it Yes, it will be (referendum),” Turull said.

“If the State categorically refuses we will have to say colorín colorado“He added.

From the opposition, the leader of the People’s Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, asked: “We want you to tell us what this possible referendum will be like, What does the red color consist of? and checkmate the government of Spain.”

Núñez Feijóo expressed his concern to his people during the meeting he called on Tuesday with his parliamentary groups, Congress and Senate, to analyze the positions that the party will adopt in this new political year.

Amnesty unconstitutional?

While this is being discussed, friction is created between the government and the party of former president Puigdemont amendments to the amnesty billa controversial measure that Spanish society cannot fully digest.

On Wednesday it became known that, according to the report of three congressional lawyers, the amnesty project presented by the PSOE could be unconstitutional due to not clarifying which crimes would be amnesty.

“It raises doubts as to whether it has a place in the Constitution, so that it needs to be articulated through the constitutional reform procedure,” postulates the January 10 report.

“The lack of determination is appreciated both with regard to the amnestied crimes and the period in which they were committed,” we read in the text.

And he underlines: “It could undermine the constitutional principle of legal certainty.”

The opinion of the lawyers it is not binding, although neither indifferent to the government nor the opposition.

The PP asks the president of the Congress, Francina Armengol, to “clarify what her legal position is”.

Thus, crossed by crossfire and the threat of permanent instability, this legislature, which has existed for just two months, got underway.

Puigdemont had already anticipated it in November, when he agreed to support the investiture of Pedro Sánchez: “Here stability will have to be achieved according to the agreementO. Without agreement, without respect, the legislator has no path.”