Catalan separatists fail to pick new regional leader

Catalonia’s regional parliament rejected a separatist candidate’s bid to be the next leader of the Spanish region for a second time on Tuesday, as a result of splits between pro-independence parties.

The assembly’s three pro-independence parties boosted their combined majority in the assembly in regional elections in February, but they remain deeply split over strategy — particularly how closely to work with the Spanish central government.

The Catalan parliament now has less than two months to elect a president for the wealthy northeastern region, or new elections will be triggered.

Pere Aragones of the leftist ERC party got 42 votes in favour and 61 against, with 32 abstentions from the region’s other major separatist party, the more hardline “Together for Catalonia” (JxC).

To succeed he needed more votes for him than against in the 135-seat chamber.

Aragones had already failed in an earlier bid on Friday when the bar was higher — he needed an absolute majority of at least 68 in favour that time around.

Aragones, Catalonia’s acting president, only has the support of his 33 ERC lawmakers and the nine belonging to far-left separatist party CUP.

JxC is unhappy with the more conciliatory tone adopted by the ERC towards Spain’s central government since Catalonia’s failed 2017 independence bid.

The ERC now favours a negotiated strategy to achieve independence and sometimes helps Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority government to pass bills in the national parliament.

Spain was plunged into its worst political crisis in decades in 2017 when the Catalan regional government pushed ahead with a secession referendum despite a court ban, and then issued a short-lived declaration of independence.

JxC, which is run by former regional president Carles Puigdemont from Belgium where he fled to escape arrest following the failed 2017 secession bid, wants to keep up a confrontational approach.

JxC lawmaker and spokeswoman Elsa Artadi said details still needed to be “settled” on an agreement on a new Catalan regional government to ensure there is “unity of action” in the pro-independence camp.

Aragones said he was “convinced” the two sides would eventually reach an agreement.

“It’s a matter of will, because we have shared goals,” he added.

The Socialists, who govern at the national level in Spain, came in first place in February’s regional election but lack sufficient support from other parties to form a government.

“While ERC and JxC will eventually reach a deal to form a government, these disputes will persist and will continue to generate mistrust between them,” said Adriano Bosoni, senior Europe analyst at US private intelligence firm Stratfor.

Pro-separatist parties have controlled the regional government of Catalonia for the past decade.

A region of around 7.8 million people with its own distinct language, Catalonia remains deeply divided over the issue of independence, with 45.1 percent in favour and 49.9 percent against according to a December poll.