Socialist victory in Catalan elections ends pro-independence dominance
Despite his pro-independence party Junts finishing second in the elections, leader Carles Puigdemont continues to pursue his aim of leading the next Catalan government.
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00:00 The Socialist Party is celebrating electoral victory in Spain's powerful northeastern region
00:06 of Catalonia. Many see the Sunday win as an endorsement of party leader Pedro Sánchez
00:12 and his proposal to grant amnesty to those involved in the 2017 Catalan independence
00:18 referendum, including former president Gales Puigdemont. The results also show Catalan
00:23 nationalist parties failed to land majority seats in the regional government.
00:27 "The parties that support Catalonia's independence for the first time in many years have not
00:32 managed to get a parliamentary majority."
00:35 Despite the victory, socialist candidate Salvador Illa's potential government hinges on alliances
00:41 with Sánchez's coalition partners and the left-wing pro-independence party.
00:46 "Right now, the most probable scenario seems to be that of a pact between the left-wing
00:52 forces, although that will depend on the position of Esquerra. But the truth is that right now
00:56 Esquerra will have a serious internal debate between sectors that will consider a more
01:01 pragmatic approach and another more radical sector that will say that it is not acceptable
01:05 to agree with the PSC, that we must continue with the objective of independence, but that
01:11 will surely lead to an electoral repetition and in that case Esquerra will have to consider
01:16 whether it compensates for that electoral repetition."
01:19 Former Catalonia president Gales Puigdemont came in at second and has demanded that Illa
01:25 allows him to govern and make way for a minority independent government.
01:54 As discussions unfold, the possibility of an election rerun remains uncertain and depends
02:00 on overseas votes. However unlikely, this could jeopardise Illa's position within the
02:07 left-wing bloc.
02:09 Negotiations for the future government of Catalonia are still highly anticipated here
02:15 in Madrid, in the Congress of Deputies, due to the possible consequences that it could
02:19 have for the governability of Spain and the future of Pedro Sánchez's government. There
02:24 is only one thing that is practically certain. We will have to wait for the outcome of the
02:28 European elections.
02:29 In Madrid, Jaime Velázquez, Euronews.
02:31 Kona News.
02:33 [SWOOSH]