Socialist victory in Catalan elections ends pro-independence dominance

euronews (in English)

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]

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