Catalan separatist party Junts has ramped up pressure on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, formally urging him to face a motion of confidence.
Although the proposal isn’t binding, it signals growing dissatisfaction within Sánchez’s shaky minority government. Junts leader Carles Puigdemont, speaking from self-imposed exile in Brussels, accused Sánchez of breaking key promises, including advancing Catalan as an official EU language and granting amnesty to leaders involved in the illegal 2017 independence bid. “We’ve been generous and patient, but it’s time for accountability,” Puigdemont declared.
Junts’ support is critical for Sánchez to pass the delayed 2025 budget, which could otherwise force reliance on outdated 2023 spending plans, threatening economic stability. Despite Sánchez’s insistence that he has “neither intention nor need” to comply, Puigdemont has warned that failure to act may cost him Junts’ backing altogether.
Opposition parties have seized the moment, with the conservative Partido Popular (PP) and VOX signaling support for the motion. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo blasted Sánchez for making excessive concessions to separatists, labeling his government “exhausted” and pushing for early elections. VOX, while dismissing the motion as symbolic, views it as a chance to underscore Sánchez’s vulnerabilities, accusing him of undermining Spain’s unity.
Criticism isn’t limited to the opposition. Even within Catalonia, Puigdemont’s move has sparked backlash. Rival pro-independence party ERC warned the motion could pave the way for a hardline PP-VOX coalition, which would adopt a harsher stance toward separatists. Meanwhile, Sánchez’s coalition partner, the far-left Sumar party, dismissed Junts’ demands as “misguided,” urging focus on practical issues like housing and budget negotiations.
Caught between separatist demands and coalition discord, Sánchez faces a political quagmire. The looming confidence debate will test his ability to navigate mounting tensions and could determine whether his government survives or spirals toward early elections.
