Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: No new date or venue has been set for the meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff, and no negotiations will take place until the outcome is guaranteed
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted

Catalans vote in test of dwindling independence movement's strength

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 12 May 2024 20:41
3 Min Read

Polls suggest that Salvador Illa, former Spanish Health Minister and current leader of the Catalan branch of the Socialist Party (PSC), will lead the election.

  • x
  • Catalans
    Socialist candidate Salvador Illa casts his ballot at a polling station in La Roca del Valles, north of Barcelona, Sunday, May 12, 2024 (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Catalans headed Sunday to polls in a snap regional election to cast their ballots and elect 135 lawmakers in the parliament in a test of the dwindling independence movement's strength and Spain's socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's conciliatory approach.

The decision to hold the election was made in March by Catalan President Pere Aragones, a member of the moderate pro-independence Catalan Republican Left party (ERC) after opposition parties rejected the budget proposed by his minority government.

Previously, the ERC had governed in coalition with the staunchly pro-independence Together for Catalonia (Junts) party, led by the self-exiled former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont. However, persistent disagreements led Junts to withdraw from the government in October 2022.

This election is being held six and a half years after Puigdemont ignited Spain's most significant political crisis in decades by orchestrating a unilateral referendum on regional independence, followed by a declaration of independence.

The conservative Spanish government at the time dispatched thousands of police officers to prevent voting, often resorting to violence. Puigdemont and his cabinet were subsequently dismissed, the regional parliament dissolved, and direct control of Catalonia was assumed by Madrid. Puigdemont fled Spain to evade arrest while other prominent figures in the independence movement faced trial and imprisonment.

Related News

Spanish PM: 'Israel' can’t be EU partner while trampling on principles

Spanish activist files war crimes case over Gaza-bound aid flotilla

Since Sanchez assumed office in 2018, tensions have eased and the Prime Minister pardoned in 2021 nine independence leaders implicated in the failed secession attempt, advocating for a new "era of dialogue and understanding."

In April, Sanchez also introduced an amnesty law to secure support from ERC and Junts, enabling his return to power after last summer's inconclusive general election. The amnesty law, benefiting Puigdemont among others, encompasses approximately 400 individuals involved in the independence referendum of November 2014 and the subsequent poll three years later.

The bill is in the Senate and is due to become law in the coming weeks, allowing the return of Puigdemont. But the measure has been adamantly opposed by the right and far-right.

Polls suggest that Salvador Illa, former Spanish Health Minister and current leader of the Catalan branch of the Socialist Party (PSC), will lead the election, followed by Junts and then ERC. The pivotal questions revolve around whether Illa can garner enough support to form a government and whether the two primary pro-independence parties can collectively secure over 50% of the vote.

Puigdemont, anticipating his return to Spain once the amnesty law takes effect, has hinted at his party's withdrawal of support for Sanchez if it disagrees with the composition of a PSC-led government. Unable to enter Spain, where he is subject to an arrest warrant, he has been campaigning in southern France. He has vowed to retire from politics if he fails to win.

It is noteworthy that recent polls indicate a waning appetite for an independent Catalonia. In October 2017, at the crisis peak, a survey by the Catalan government's Center for Opinion Studies showed 48.7% of Catalans favored independence, while 43.6% opposed it. However, a March poll from the same center found that 51% were against independence, with 42% in favor.

Read more: Spain's parliament to draft bill to legalize undocumented migrants

  • Spain
  • Carles Puigdemont
  • Pere Aragones
  • Pedro Sanchez
  • Catalonia

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS