Catalonia: the crisis at the heart of Spain's election

Record ID: 1410124

  • Title: Catalonia: the crisis at the heart of Spain's election
  • Date: 25th April 2019
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CATALAN FINANCE WORKER WHO CHANGED FROM BEING A UNIONIST TO A SEPARATIST, JOAN MARC GONZALEZ, 27, SAYING: "The current situation made me change because we are in a situation where people are on trial because of their ideology, for being part of a movement, for wanting to have a referendum. They are on trial because they (the state) say there has been
  • Embargoed: 9th May 2019 10:57
  • Keywords: Spain election Catalonia independence
  • Location: MADRID, BARCELONA, SANT JULIA DE RAMIS, SPAIN
  • City: MADRID, BARCELONA, SANT JULIA DE RAMIS, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA003ABYKHMV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Catalonia's 2017 independence drive unleashed one of Spain's worst political crises, polarizing society, sparking the rise of the far-right Vox and pushing the conservative People's Party further to the right as it tried to reclaim voters defecting to newcomer Vox.
    The restive northeastern region was instrumental in triggering the April 28 election, has been a pivotal issue throughout campaigning and is expected to be crucial in determining the composition of the next government.
    Although Socialist leader and outgoing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is leading the polls he is not expected to get a majority of seats and will have to look for partners, including Catalan separatist parties, if he is to govern Spain.
    Sanchez has repeatedly said he will not allow a referendum on Catalonia's independence, but his willingness to enter discussions with Catalonia's separatists have fueled the wrath of the three parties on the right.
    Vox chief Santiago Abascal called him "insane," Centre-right Ciudadanos' leader Albert Rivera said Sanchez wanted to "liquidate" the country and the PP's Pablo Casado has called him a traitor.
    But by all choosing Catalonia and attacks on Sanchez as a major campaign theme, when polls show it is not the top concern for voters, the three right-wing parties risk losing time and energy battling each other and damaging their chances of entering government.
    In Ciutat Meridiana, Barcelona's poorest neighbourhood, local residents say they are more concerned about getting jobs, while the imprisonment and trial of Catalan leaders, championed by Vox which is part of the public prosecution, has led some like 27-year-old Joan Marc Gonzalez to shift from supporting Spain's union to joining protests in favour of independence.
    Catalonia elects 48 of Spain's 350 deputies, and separatist Catalan parties ERC and JxCat could together have up to 23 seats, a CIS opinion poll showed.
    With the margins so fine, that suggests ERC's support could be decisive, though any talks between Sanchez and the secessionists are bound to be long and complex.
    Based on opinion polls, the Socialists and Ciudadanos could together form a two-party coalition.
    But chances of that appear to have receded as the election has drawn closer. Not only do they differ strongly on Catalonia but after Rivera repeatedly rejected any such alliance, Sanchez said on Tuesday it was not part of his plans either.
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