Pro-Separatist Forces Extend Rule in Spain's Catalonia Regional Election

Salvador Illa, former Minister of Health of Spain
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] In the Catalonia regional elections held on the 14th (local time), the pro-independence forces are expected to succeed in extending their rule.

The Catalonia autonomous region is currently governed by a coalition government of the left-leaning Catalan Republican Party (ERC), which advocates independence from Spain, and the center-right Catalan Together Party (JxCat).

According to daily El Pa?s and AP News, with 99% of the votes counted, the Socialists, the ruling party of the central government, secured the highest vote share of 23%, winning 33 out of 135 seats. This is 16 seats more than in the 2017 election and the best result the Socialists have achieved in the Catalonia regional elections since 2006.

However, since the pro-independence parties had already reached a written agreement last week not to form a coalition government with the Socialists, the possibility of the Socialists taking power is low. Salvador Illa, the former Spanish Minister of Health and the Socialist candidate, said, "This is a clear victory with a message to read," adding, "Change is coming to Catalonia, and there is no turning back."

The ERC's vote share was 21.3%, trailing the Socialists, but it secured 33 seats, the same number as the Socialists. JxCat obtained 20% of the vote and won 32 seats, one less than the Socialists and ERC.

The combined number of seats expected to be secured by the two parties is 65, which falls short of the majority threshold of 68 seats. However, the far-left Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), which also supports independence, won 9 seats, bringing the total number of seats held by the pro-independence forces to 74.

The total number of seats secured by these three parties increased by 4 compared to the 2017 election. AP News explained, "This result shows that the pro-independence sentiment remains strong despite the leadership being imprisoned following the Catalonia government's forced independence referendum in October 2017."

However, AP added that it is uncertain whether the pro-independence forces can overcome internal power struggles, especially given the difficulties in achieving Catalonia's independence. In the 2017 election, JxCat led ERC by 2 seats, but this time ERC is expected to surpass JxCat by one seat, indicating a shift in power.

Meanwhile, in this election, the far-right party Vox won 11 seats, entering the Catalonia regional parliament for the first time as the fourth-largest party in terms of seats. Vox also secured 52 seats in the November 2019 general election, becoming the third-largest party in the lower house.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.