New leader is sworn in, faces Catalan conundrum
BARCELONA: New Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had been barely sworn in on Saturday before one of the country’s most critical issues facing his fragile government was pressed upon him: ending the Catalan secession crisis.
Less than two hours after Mr Sanchez had taken his oath to uphold the Spanish Constitution, Catalan chief Quim Torra demanded to meet with Mr Sanchez and speak “government to government” regarding the future of the wealthy yet restive northeastern region.
“Pedro Sanchez, let us talk, take risks, both you and I. Let us sit down at a table and talk, government to government,” Mr Torra said after swearing in his regional Cabinet in Barcelona on Saturday.
Mr Torra, who was chosen by separatist lawmakers to lead the region last month, said his government “accepts the charge to continue forward with the mandate … to form an independent state.”
Mr Sanchez, the leader of Spain’s Socialist Party, came to power after he successfully ousted conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy, who lost a no-confidence vote in parliament on Friday.
In order to cobble together the support to cast out Mr Rajoy, Mr Sanchez promised to open talks with Mr Torra in order to get the votes he needed from the Catalan pro-secession lawmakers in the national parliament.
Mr Sanchez said on Thursday that one of the priorities of his government would be “rebuilding bridges” with the country’s regions and “establishing the foundations that allow us to normalise relations and start a dialogue between the Spanish government and the new government in Catalonia.”
Mr Sanchez, however, insisted that any solutions for Catalonia must fit within Spain’s Constitution, which calls the nation “indivisible” and says national sovereignty resides in the Madrid-based parliament.
Mr Sanchez had been Mr Rajoy’s most loyal backer of a government takeover of Catalonia’s regional affairs following an illegal and unsuccessful declaration of independence by the region’s parliament in October.
That federal takeover came to an end on Saturday after Mr Torra formed his Catalan government. Mr Torra’s 13 regional ministers took oaths of allegiance to Catalonia while omitting the traditional oath of allegiance to the Spanish Constitution.
Mr Torra, a fervent Catalan nationalist, was hand-picked by former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to succeed him. Mr Puigdemont is fighting extradition from Germany to Spain, where he is sought on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds.
Mr Torra’s prior statements in articles social media posts deriding Spaniards have been called xenophobic by critics. He has recently apologised for those views.
Mr Sanchez himself has called Mr Torra “the Spanish Le Pen,” aligning him with elements of the European far-right like French nationalist Marine Le Pen.
Besides inheriting Spain’s worst political crisis in nearly four decades, Mr Sanchez’s government will depend on the support of the far-left Podemos (We Can) party and of a motley crew of regional parties and Catalan secessionists to get anything done in the federal government.
Spain’s parliament voted on Friday to replace Mr Rajoy’s government with one led by Mr Sanchez after a ruling by the National Court delivered hefty prison sentences to 29 business people and ex-members of Mr Rajoy’s Popular Party, including some elected officials, for fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, among other crimes.
Mr Rajoy attended Saturday’s ceremony in the royal Zarzuela Palace and shook Mr Sanchez’s hand after the new leader was sworn in by King Felipe VI.