Spain's coalition govt. deal gets cautious welcome in Catalonia
Kusai Kedri
Press TV, Barcelona
Following a pyrrhic victory in Spain's repeat election, acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez signed an agreement to form a coalition government with Unidas Podemos, the anti-austerity party led by Pablo Iglesias. The two leaders put on a brave face after months of inconclusive talks and bitter resentment.
The combined seat-strength of the socialists and Unidas Podemos is 155. They need an additional 21 lawmakers to form a majority when the lower house convenes in December. The Conservatives, the center and far-right have already made clear they will oppose the coalition. Sanchez and Iglesias´s remaining hope lies with the smaller parties like the Basque and the Catalan separatists but the latter have conditioned their support on the resumption of talks with the central government.
The speaker was referring to a non-binding motion passed Tuesday in Catalonia's parliament defending the right to self-determination. Spanish courts have warned lawmakers they could face legal consequences. Spain´s stock market index Ibex-35 fell at the announcement of the coalition with Unidas Podemos.
Little has transpired on the details of the deal between Podemos and the socialists but a left-leaning government will see Sanchez as Prime minister and Pablo Iglesias as deputy prime minister
If Sanchez and Iglesias secure the needed majority in Congress, they will be remembered as the architects of the first coalition government in the recent history of Spain. But the pressing question today is how long will their coalition last and if it could weather Catalonia´s political storm.
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