Controversial Amnesty Deal Deepens Division as Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez Grabs Slim Majority

Spain’s acting Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has won a parliamentary vote to form a new government, securing a four-seat majority in the 350-seat lower house of parliament. The vote came after days of intense debate regarding a controversial amnesty deal for Catalonia’s separatists. Sánchez’s reliance on two Catalan pro-independence parties to form a majority has sparked criticism, with opponents arguing that the proposed amnesty deal will trigger another bid for secession and threaten Spain's territorial unity.

The amnesty law would benefit not only the leader of the Junts party, Carles Puigdemont, but also hundreds of other pro-independence figures. The proposed law has faced opposition from much of Spain’s judiciary, who argue that it undermines democracy. The fragility of Sánchez’s new government is evident from the fact that Podemos, a left-wing party that is part of the ruling coalition, has not yet been invited to run any ministries.