In Spain, this Sunday, May 12, Catalans are called to the polls to elect regional deputies. After a decade marked by the independence debate, the divisions have faded and the temptation to abstain is now greater. These local elections also have importance for the government of Pedro Sanchez.
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In Catalonia these days, the regional electoral campaign is generating little enthusiasm, reports our correspondent in Barcelona, Elise Gazengel. Unlike the elections of recent years, the divisions between independence and unionist blocs seem to have faded and so does the motivation of certain voters.
This is the case of Emiliano Nastari who will not vote this Sunday: “ I was against independence, so before, I voted against them. But there, as there is no longer such a big issue, I don’t feel that there is really a subject that will concern me. »
In 2017, the year of the secession attempt, nearly 80% of voters went to the polls. Marco Badia voted for the independence parties at the time but, this year, he still has doubts: “ I’ll put on the television, read a few articles and make up my mind by testing the mood a bit at the last minute because I still don’t know. I’m undecided. » According to the latest polls, 40% of Catalans are still undecided and abstention is feared by the main candidates.
The impact of the Catalan vote on national politics
These legislative elections are not only local, they also have a strong resonance on a national scale. At stake, depending on the results, the near future of the socialist Pedro Sanchez and its government, which depends mainly on the Catalanist parties, recalls our correspondent in Madrid, Francois Musseau.
In recent days, Pedro Sanchez has been very present in the meetings of the socialist candidate for president of Catalonia, Salvador Illa – given as a favorite with a reputation for seriousness –, a former Minister of Health who stood out for his efficiency during the Covid-19 crisis. And if Pedro Sanchez is so present and enthusiastic to support his candidate, as if he were playing his own election, there is a very good reason for that. The outcome of this Catalan election will have a direct impact on national politics, and very concretely on the very fragile executive of Pedro Sanchez, who is extremely dependent on the support of the two major separatist groups in Catalonia: Esquerra Republicana, the moderates , currently in charge in Barcelona, and Junts, the radicals led by Carles Puigdemont.
If at the end of the vote, the socialists and the separatists do not find an agreement and see their relations deteriorate, then it is very possible that the supporters of secession will reconsider their strategic support for Pedro Sanchez. Which would mean that he and his government could not continue and that new elections would have to be organized for all of Spain.
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