Spain will remain ungovernable until a solution is found for Catalonia

The Catalan government has warned that Spain will remain ungovernable until a “political solution” is found for Catalonia. Catalan spokesperson Elsa Artadi reacted to the decision by the Spanish president Pedro Sánchez to call a snap election for April 28, after pro-independence parties rejected his budget in Congress.

“It’ll be impossible to rule Spain until they face the political problem in Catalonia,” said Artadi, who accused Sánchez of “abandoning dialogue” and “giving in to pressure from the far-right.”

Catalonia’s push for independence is set to play a central role in the next general election, with Spain’s opposition head and People’s Party leader Pablo Casado accusing Sánchez of “high treason” for seeking supports from pro-independence parties to pass the budget.

Broken dialogue

While pro-independence parties helped Sánchez come to power last spring, they rejected his spending plan in a crucial parliamentary vote, accusing him of not meeting their demands on Catalonia’s self-determination and the trial against independence leaders.

“It’s been proven that the problem of Catalonia does not only involve People’s Party or [former Spanish president Mariano] Rajoy, but also a Socialist party that rejects finding a solution,” said Artadi.

Sánchez broke off talks with pro-independence parties after a proposal for an observer at the negotiation table sparked outrage among right-wing opposition parties.