Sánchez’s government hobbled by Junts withdrawal

Spain’s government will be unable to pass laws following the decision of the Catalan separatist party Junts to withdraw support for Pedro Sánchez’s fragile coalition.

Junts leader Carles Puigdemont announced the split yesterday, saying that Sánchez had shown a “lack of will” and had failed to keep promises to his party, including granting control of immigration to Catalonia and pushing for recognition of Catalan as an official EU language.

The decision leaves Sánchez governing in a minority, unable to obtain enough votes to pass legislation on budget spending.

Puigdemont, however, stated that he would not back a no-confidence motion to remove Sánchez, as this would mean voting alongside the PP and Vox, both of which are vehemently opposed to Catalonia’s independence.

The intention of Puigdemont’s decision appears to be to hasten new elections.