Spain Set for Government at Last as Separatists Back Sanchez

Source: Bloomberg

Spain is set to finally get a new government after the acting premier, Pedro Sanchez, persuaded a Catalan separatist party to help him take office for a second term.

Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya agreed to abstain in a confidence vote in parliament, giving Sanchez the numbers he needs to form a Socialist-led coalition, Pere Aragones, a senior party official, said Thursday. A final vote in the Spanish Parliament is expected Jan. 7.

Spain has been without a proper government since Sanchez dissolved parliament in March for the first of two elections last year.

With the parliament splintered between five major national parties and a host of smaller regional groups after a second ballot in November, Sanchez turned to Esquerra to help swing the numbers in his favor. A pact with the anti-austerity party Podemos got him closer to the line and upped the pressure on the Catalans.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-02/sanchez-wins-catalan-backing-needed-to-govern-in-spain-el-pais